The Fire Rises
by xXIBtwistV2Xx
Summary: Sonic has taken the blame for what happened to his friends and has gone into hiding- unable to talk to even his closest allies. They retain hope for him, and try to desperately bring him out of the shadows and restore his faith in himself. For Mobius needs him more than ever when it is threatened by a cunning, ruthless reptilian monster known only as Bane. Loose adaption of TDKR.
1. Hijacked

**Sonic the Hedgehog: The Fire Rises-**

_All characters owned by SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics… Loosely based on the movie The Dark Knight Rises._

_**Chapter 1- Hijacked**_

A lone truck sped along the barren grasslands of eastern Eurish against a grey sky. It's cargo; three Mobians bound with bags on their heads and a frightened, anxious human. The truck soon stopped when it came to a small, black jet flanked by GUN operatives. The driver and passenger got out and pulled everyone out of the back with their heads still covered- prodding them closer to the GUN soldiers.

"Great, we've been expecting you!" greeted one soldier as they began loading the prisoners onto the plane.

"I'm sorry, sir. You can't bring friends with you," another soldier said to the terrified human.

He looked back at them while he was ushered into the plane. "They are not my friends," he protested, but was shoved into the airplane.

The human driver of the truck walked up to the soldiers. Two of them were standing at the entrance of the plane. "My name is Major Freeman of GUN," explained the soldier on the right and showed his badge.

The driver with combat fatigues nodded and looked to both of them warily. "They are hired guns. They work for the mercenary; the masked one," he explained with a thick accent.

The soldier on the left looked at the driver with uncertainty and confusion. _"Bane?"_ he asked no one in particular. The driver nodded softly without a word and went to join the other passenger, who was also human. Freeman turned to the other soldier and shrugged his arms. "Guess they don't want to be paid…"

A few minutes later the plane was soaring above the grassy plains and snow-capped mountains. It was perfect flying weather and the crew could see that today's flight from the middle of nowhere to Station Square would be an easy one. In the main compartment, the GUN operatives were getting down to business with interrogating their prisoners. Freeman opened up the door as the gust and deafening roar of the wind at 4,000 feet screamed into the plane.

"Alright!" he exclaimed to the prisoners who still had their heads covered. "First one to talk gets to stay on my aircraft!" Another GUN soldier brought the first prisoner to Freeman, who laid him down on his back and stuck his head precariously out the door and let it hang over thin air.

He pointed a loaded gun to the mystery Mobian's head and began demanding answers. "Why do you work for Bane?" he yelled. No answer. "Alright then," added Freeman and fired the gun once outside to give the effect of shooting someone. He ordered the other soldiers to move the still living prisoner to the back of the plane so it would appear that he shot him then threw him out. Another one of the three prisoners was brought to Freeman, who did the exact same thing.

"Where did you find Bane?! Why does he wear the mask?!" asked the Major, who was becoming visibly frustrated. "Still not talking, huh? At a loss for words?" he asked.

"Or perhaps he is wondering why you would shoot a man before throwing him out of an airplane…" replied the remaining prisoner; who's voice had some sort of filter on it. Freeman ordered a soldier to take the prisoner he was interrogating and put him in the back with the other one. "Well at least you can talk! Who are you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter who we are…" the prisoner replied. "What matters is our plan!"

The Major was unsettled by the prisoner's words. "How much is Bane paying you to keep quiet?" he asked as he removed the Mobian's head cover himself. He pulled it off to reveal a tall, grey-scaled, muscular Komodo Dragon with yellow eyes. He had a strange looking mask on which strapped from behind his head to a large mouthpiece in the front that looked like skeleton's fingers interlocking.

"No one cared who I was until I put on the mask…" the komodo dragon growled.

Freeman shook his head. "Well congratulations Bane, you've managed to get yourself caught!" he jeered. "Was getting caught part of your plan?"

"Of course!" Bane exclaimed.

The Major just laughed. "Do you think we can take that mask off for a bit more questioning? Or will you die?"

Bane stared at him intensely with his yellow eyes and black pupils. "Well I imagine that it would be extremely painful…" he replied.

Freeman looked confused. "You're a big guy…"

"…for you…" Bane added.

The Major was taken aback by this but decided to keep pushing him for information. Meanwhile outside, a bigger white cargo plane was gaining on the small black jet, making the latter shudder a little as it got closer. "What the hell is that?" wondered the pilot. The plane quickly overtook the small jet and hovered above it.

"Well, you're caught now. So you might as well tell me the next part of your master plan," coaxed Freeman. Bane looked at him intently. "Crashing this plane… with no survivors!" he replied. Just then, the white cargo plane's back hatch opened and humans and Mobians attached to cables jumped out into thin air, landing all over the small jet below. They brandished their sub machine guns and started shooting out the jet's windows. Some proceeded to shoot the GUN operatives through the broken windows while others began attaching C4 to the tail of the jet and cables to the places where the wings met the body of the aircraft.

That huge distraction was all Bane needed to break free of his bonds and attack the remaining crew members. The guards tried to subdue him, but he countered them quickly with devastating punches and kicks. The two other prisoners also broke free of their bonds and were coming to the aid of Bane.

By now, Bane's men outside had retreated back to the white cargo plane and were beginning to winch the cables that held the jet's wings into place. The jet gradually tilted and rose upwards with its nose facing the ground thousands of feet below. The sheer force of the wind on the jet's wings was enough to tear the wings and engines off as it hung there helplessly.

Inside the jet, Bane and the remaining prisoners had begun to turn the tide against the crew. Bane and the others climbed along the seats as the jet tilted upwards and the GUN soldiers who had slid to the bottom shot at them. One of the shots grazed Bane as he climbed. He looked down at the operatives and to his side where he saw a wounded GUN soldier. He grabbed the incapacitated man and hurled him down the jet where he collided with the remaining operatives along with Freeman at the bottom, knocking all of them out.

Outside, Bane's men activated the C4 on the tail of the jet, making a ring of small explosions and tearing the entire tail off. They lowered a cable into the now open aircraft and between the rows of seats so that Bane and the others could get out. The prisoners began ascending the rope and one by one made it into the bigger aircraft. A wolf Mobian began climbing the rope, but Bane stopped him. "No, they will be expecting _one_ of us in the wreckage, brother!" he yelled over the howling wind. The wolf Mobian smiled and looked back at him. "Have we started the fire?" he asked the Komodo Dragon. "Yes! _The fire rises!_" Bane exclaimed, and began climbing up the rope.

The frightened human from before had climbed into a corner to keep from falling to his doom. He saw Bane approaching him and backed farther into the small space. "No. No. NO!" the human groaned. Bane snatched him up so that he couldn't get away and attached a hook on his vest to the rope coming from the cargo plane. The human looked to the bottom at the bloodied and beaten GUN soldiers and began struggling to get free. "Now is not the time for fear, doctor!" Bane said to him, and took out a handheld detonator. "That comes later!" he said and pressed a button on the detonator, blowing the cables holding the jet off of the cargo plane. The human screamed as the remaining piece of the jet plummeted around them. They came out unscathed as they passed through the middle and watched as the once sleek aircraft rocketed towards the plains below, smashing into hundreds of pieces…

**End of Chapter 1…**


	2. Recluse

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 2: Recluse**_

Sonic could barely think as the pounding rain outside tapped against the cracked, glass window of the dingy one room- apartment. The entire place was dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of fluorescent neon lights on the building outside. Sonic sat squarely in the glow of one of these lights as he tried to piece together his plans of action. Four days ago, he had done something he never thought he would do. He robbed a bank in New Mobotropolis.

He had to. He had no money and he wasn't going to steal from his parents. So he took out his frustration and anger on the establishment that caused him and his friends so much grief; the government of the Republic of Acorn. They had become extremely stingy and rigid to the point of being plain stubborn. They voted to cancel an assault on the Death Egg Mark 2. They refused to stand up against Ixis Naugus when he initiated his coup. And possibly the worst of all; they voted to _exile_ Nicole- the very being that built their city and swore to protect them in exchange for nothing but their acceptance of her.

All because of one simple incident that would probably never happen again. She was brainwashed by a techno mage known as the Iron Queen and was turned against the citizens. No matter how much she changed her circuitry and apologized, they still voted to exile her. _How dare they_.

_4 days ago…_

"_**Sonic! What are you doing?!" asked a frightened bank teller.**_

…

"_**Shut up! Put the money in this bag! Do it now! Faster!" Sonic threatened.**_

…

"_**Alright, but please don't hurt me!" the teller replied. **_

…

"_**Call the police! He's getting away!" someone yelled. **_

…

"_**I always knew there was something off about that douche!" another scoffed. **_

Sonic snapped out of his flashback and lay on the bed with his spiky back. He ran for miles and miles with a bag of 30,000 Mobiums on his back. He fled until his legs couldn't carry him any farther or faster. He was an outlaw now, so they would surely be after him. What had he done? Now all of his friends would become his enemies.

He used some of the money to rent a rundown apartment in downtown Station Square. He was miles away from anyone he knew. From now on, the longer it stays like that the better. He began to think to himself why he did these things in the first place. Of course, it was because of Sally and Antoine.

Sally was recently roboticized during an assault on the Death Egg Mark 2. She was seemingly killed but thanks to Sonic and a bit of time travel he saved her. Instead she got roboticized, though, and proceeded to act as the slave of Dr. Eggman. They fought numerous times until him and the others managed to return Sally to her normal state. For some reason, Sonic wasn't as happy as he thought he'd be when she returned to normal. Instead, he was miserable because he thought that she would resent him for failing her twice. So he shunned her.

Antoine was brutally injured during a fight with Metal Sonic, and was still currently hospitalized and in a coma. Sonic wasn't quick enough to save him, so he almost perished. Luckily doctors were nearby and he was saved. His wife, Bunnie Rabbot was deeply concerned for her husband and stood by his 24/7. Sonic felt awful because he had to deal with Mecha Sally and couldn't be by Antoine's side to support him and Bunnie- when it was basically his fault that he was hurt.

Sonic began to sit up and look around the dismal room. Maybe an evening walk would clear his thoughts. After a while the authorities would see his arrest warrant in their system and come after him; so now would be a better time than ever to spend time outdoors. While he was still safe…

0ooOoo0

Sally, Amy and Bunnie were slowly walking along the many paths of New Mobotropolis under a deep blue sky. They were trying to come to grips with what Sonic had just done, but it wasn't easy. "I still can't believe that Sonic would just rob a bank and then run away without telling any of us!" exclaimed Amy.

The other girls agreed. "We know he didn't run to a Freedom Fighter sector 'cause I've checked with all of 'em," added Bunnie.

Sally didn't know what to make of all this. "I don't know why he would do this," she trailed off. "Was it something that _I_ did?" she asked the girls.

"Sal! Quit with the crazy-talk! You didn't do anything!" Bunnie reassured her.

"Yeah- I mean, he could've done this for any reason. Through my years of admiring him I've helped myself grow accustomed to his little quirks," Amy added.

"I'll take your guys' word for it, then," the princess sighed.

The trio walked along, only stopping to view the construction of the new Castle Acorn. The old one was destroyed when a group known as the Battle Bird Armada came and attacked the city with their huge flying fortress. They continued until they came to the airfield; where they found Tails preparing for some sort of expedition. "Hey, Tails. What're ya up to?" asked Bunnie. The young two-tailed kit looked up at the girls and went back to work on his plane. "Hey guys. I'm… I'm gonna go find Sonic," he murmured.

"What?!" exclaimed Amy.

"All by yourself?" asked Sally.

Tails solemnly nodded. "If I have to, then yes!" he replied, beginning to sob a little.

"Tails, I don't think you should. He'll have to come back when he wants to-," Sally began but was cut off by Tails.

"He does want to! He's just scared, that's all!" Tails exclaimed, and broke into a full on cry.

"We don't think you should! Besides it's dangerous-," the princess began, but was cut off by Tails again.

"_I don't care!_ I can handle it! Anyways, he needs some convincing in these times. And I'm the only one who can convince him!" the fox protested.

Sally put her hands on his shoulders. "Tails I-," she started. "I'll go with you to look for him," she finished. The young kit looked up at her with teary, red eyes and nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Sally," he replied and gently hugged her. "Thank you, he needs to know that there are still people who will care about him no matter what," the boy said softly.

Amy couldn't take the pressure any longer. "Count me in, too!" she exclaimed. "I still care about him. We all do."

"That goes double for me…" said a familiar voice. Everyone turned around to see who it was. It was King Elias. "That young man has done more for our people than I could ever hope to," he added as he walked toward them. "And whether the council likes it or not… I'm going with you."

"Brother, don't-," protested Sally, but Elias silenced her. "I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me, sis. He needs us. His friends," he explained. "I'll just tell the council that I'm going on a diplomatic trip," he added.

"I'd like to join ya'll, but, Sugah-Twan needs me…" Bunnie mumbled.

"It's okay, we understand," replied Amy.

"If it's alright, I would like to offer some extra assistance," Elias suggested.

"What extra assistance?" asked Sally.

Elias blinked and looked to the side. "Oh, just some friends of mine…"

0ooOoo0

Hours later everyone disembarked from Tails' plane, the Tornado and set foot on a grassy plain outside of Station Square- the largest city in the United Federation (A country run by humans and overlanders). "So this is where we're supposed to meet your friends?" Tails asked Elias. The squirrel nodded and stared intently at the sunset. In the distance they could see two black specks rapidly approaching them. They seemed to be vehicles of some sort and were leaving trails of dust behind them as they sped across the plains.

The shapes drew closer, and they were revealed to be buggies with Mobians inside. In one there was a male brown lynx with special operations goggles and a black and orange jumpsuit. There was also a robotic brown hedgehog that closely resembled Sonic. In the other buggy there were two pink female wolves who appeared to be twins, wearing the same black and pink jumpsuits and matching goggles that were the same make as the lynx's. The buggies roared up the hill and came to a stop before the Tornado. The passengers got out and walked over to the others who were already waiting. Elias stepped aside and let the introductions take place.

The lynx was the first to speak. "Hey, we're-."

"Larry?" asked Sally.

The lynx became uneasy. "Um, uh-."

"Aren't you Shard?" Amy asked the metal hedgehog.

"Lyco and Leeta?" Tails asked the two wolves in confusion.

The Mobians in jumpsuits stood there and didn't know what to say. "Aww, Elias. I thought these were supposed to conceal our identities!" groaned Larry.

"_They are,_" replied Elias, who was seeing the dirty look Sally was giving him.

"Care to explain, brother?" sighed Sally.

"It'll take too long to explain, though!" he replied.

"I've got time," the princess replied and raised her eyebrow.

"Alright then. Yes, you all know who they are. They are part of a secret Freedom Fighter group that was started by Silver and I to protect New Mobotropolis when you or the other Freedom Fighters are elsewhere. They were extremely helpful in removing Naugus from the throne, I might add," explained the King.

"What do you mean 'they'? You're one of us, too!" corrected Shard.

Elias' eyes grew wide and he whipped around to face the robot. "QUIET!" he exclaimed, rather annoyed.

Shard was taken aback by the aggression. "Okay, dude! Just don't want you to sell yourself short!" he replied. Elias just rubbed his head as his sister figured out the truth. "This is becoming very interesting," she seethed.

"We'll just go set up camp then…" Amy said as everyone else joined her in setting up some tents.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a minute," replied Sally. "But first I need to have a little talk with my brother."

**End of Chapter 2…**

_**So how do you like this story so far? Drop a review cause comments, criticisms, and questions are always welcome! **_

"_**Don't be shy~ ," – Catwoman. **_

_As always characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC comics. _


	3. Wounds

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 3: Wounds**_

Sonic looked down at his feet as he sauntered along a sidewalk near Middle Park. The streetlights were dim, and the moon wasn't that bright either. Nevertheless, it provided ambient lighting for dozens of insects and underhanded drug deals going on in the area. What was he to do now that he was a wanted man? He decided to sit on a low brick wall nearby to think about his course of action. Where would he go? Who could he talk to? Nowhere and no one seemed to be the answers to his questions. For now he would-

"Hey, you!" the hedgehog heard someone yell. He looked over to the person and saw that it was a human police officer pointing his gun at him. "You're a fugitive! FREEZE!" the officer shouted. Sonic began panicking at the thought of being caught and brought before his once good friends and started to get up and leave. "I said FREEZE!" the officer yelled again.

Sonic nonchalantly turned towards him and sighed. "Do you even know who I am?" he asked. The policeman nodded. "Of course I do! You're world famous! Heh. For fighting Eggman and now for robbing banks," he explained. "Now if you would please, get on the ground."

Sonic was becoming amused by the situation. "And what makes you think you can catch me? I've outrun your entire police force and GUN before, remember?" he asked.

The police officer grabbed his radio. "Okay, suspect is becoming resistant to arrest. I'm gonna need some backup over here," he said.

Sonic laughed a bit. "Ooh, did I hit a nerve?"

"You stay quiet and get on the ground!" the officer retorted. "Or else what? Are ya gonna shoot me?" Sonic mocked.

The policeman stiffened and began to sweat. "I will- if you make me. I can. My job allows it," he said softly and put his finger on the trigger. By now, seven police cruisers had entered the park and were beginning to surround Sonic and the other officer.

"Pfft. Whatever. You guys don't even have enough evidence to convict me!" the hedgehog scoffed.

Some officers exited their vehicles and shone flashlights on his back. "Oh yeah? Well then how do you explain that?" asked one of the policemen. Sonic looked behind him and discovered that he was still carrying the bag of 30,000 Mobiums on his back.

"_Oh, crap!_" Sonic squeaked.

"Alright son, you're under arrest!" yelled one of the officers. Sonic's mind raced through all of the outcomes of this situation. Should he run? Should he just give up? "Get down!" yelled another officer but more forcefully. Sonic made his decision.

"Sorry guys, I gotta juice!" he said, then jumped as quick as a blink of an eye onto a police car's hood before running off down the street.

"He's getting away!" someone yelled, and everyone got back in their cars to give chase.

0ooOoo0

Elias, Sally, Tails, Amy, Shard, Larry, Lyco, and Leeta had all just finished setting up camp outside Station Square.

"So why isn't Silver with you guys?" Amy asked Lyco. "I thought you said that he was also a member of… whatever you guys are."

"He is, but he had some important business to take care of," replied the wolf.

"He had to return to his own time to 'straighten something out' as he said," Shard replied.

"Wonder what he means by that," added Tails. Suddenly, some static began filtering on the radio they had set up at their camp. "Hey, what's that?" the fox asked.

"It's a police radio," replied Larry.

"_*Kzzt*. We-re in hot pursuit of- *kzzt*Sonic the hedgehog! He's headed *kzzt* the canal!" _the voice on the radio informed.

"Okay, we've got'em!" exclaimed Sally. Elias nodded and turned to everyone else.

"Alright, we need to split up into two teams for searching the city. Amy, Shard, Larry, and Sally will go as one team. Myself, Tails, Lyco, and Leeta will go as the other. We have to hurry!" Elias ordered.

"He's right. If Sonic's here, then he won't be staying for long," added Tails. All of them got into their respective buggies and motored off towards Station Square.

0ooOoo0

Sonic could barely control himself whilst charging through the streets of Station Square. He was after all in a high speed chase with cops following him. This was becoming a lot more trouble than it was worth. Maybe he should just let himself get caught and end this whole ordeal. No. He knew that if he was caught then he would be in even more trouble than before. So he kept running.

The police cars behind him were going their full speed, but they still didn't match Sonic's unrivaled velocity. "STOP and surrender NOW!" one of the officers demanded. Sonic ignored his warning and kept on running. He saw that he was nearing the big canal in the center of the city, so he changed his speed and swerved to the side of it. Some of the police cars weren't so lucky though. They were so caught up in the chase and apprehending Sonic that some didn't see the canal ahead and couldn't turn until it was too late. Their cars drifted and swerved into the canal, crashing on top of one another. Despite the circumstances, all of them survived and swam out to the canal's concrete bank.

Sonic kept running until he turned back into the maze of skyscrapers and ran towards a familiar building. Sonic skidded to a halt and looked up at the intimidating glass structure. His view was momentarily skewed when a raindrop fell from the sky and landed square on his face. Great, it was starting to rain again. The police cars soon followed and surrounded him. Everyone got out and pointed their guns at him while news and police helicopters entered the area. Sonic knew this building. The irony was almost too great. This was the building he first fought Chaos in front of! He remembered that he couldn't run up the building because he had no traction with the glass. That meant no way for him to escape.

He knew he was caught this time, so he turned around to face the humans. "Get on the ground, now!" one of them demanded. Sonic began to raise his arms, but he spotted something, a narrow storm drain opening next to the building. The officers could tell that he was eyeing it, so they showed a little more force. "Don't even think about it!" one of them shouted.

In a split second decision, Sonic darted to the opening and spun into a ball. A loud crack was heard and Sonic's right leg was suddenly engulfed in pain. "Auugh!" he cried. By now he was already in the passageway, so he stopped and held his leg up to see what caused such pain. He had been shot in the leg. Blood was slowly leaking out of a small hole and the pain was intensifying. He looked back to the police outside and saw all of them looking back at a lone officer holding his gun towards Sonic and breathing heavily. To Sonic's surprise it was the first officer he encountered that night.

"I… I'm sorry," the young policeman said softly. Sonic looked at them for a second longer, and then proceeded to shuffle farther down the passageway, out of sight and reach of any policeman. The horde of cops ran over to the storm drain entrance and looked for the blue hedgehog. "Well, what do we do? Follow him?" one of them asked. "Hell no! Are you kidding me?!" another one replied. "Yeah, anyone who has gone down there recently has gotten murdered!" someone else explained. "Are you serious?!" one of the chiefs shouted. "Of course, why do you think there have been so many bodies at the outflows?" another one replied.

As the police kept talking, Sonic was limping down a dark and moldy tunnel, not caring which direction he walked. After a while, he collapsed against a wall and examined his gunshot wound. It was progressively getting worse, so he took off one of his shoes and used its sock as a makeshift tourniquet. He then sighed and removed the bag of Mobiums from his back. He angrily tossed it into the dingy water below. He slowly brought his arms and legs together and buried his head in them.

0ooOoo0

"Okay, Team Two! We have entered the downtown area but haven't seen any sign of Sonic," Sally informed over a radio. It was nine o'clock at night and fairly humid, so the fatigue and heat began to bog down the rescue party. Their buggy was cruising through downtown Station Square, looking for any sign of the blue hedgehog. They wanted every opportunity to catch him before the cops did, so they knew they had to work quickly. The tension and stress levels were high because of this.

"Guys, keep your eyes peeled for any police cars! They could be headed to where Sonic is!" ordered Shard.

"Is he even still in the city?" asked Larry, who was sitting next to Amy.

The pink hedgehog nodded in response. "Of course, I can feel that he's here somewhere. I just don't know where…" she trailed off.

Meanwhile, Elias' team was driving alongside the left bank of the big canal that ran through the center of the city. "Copied, Team One," he replied. "We'll search around the seedier parts of town- starting with this canal." He turned off the radio and placed it at his side in the buggy. They drove alongside some railroad tracks until they came to a part in the canal that dipped lower than the rest. Just then Tails saw a Mobian-like figure dart across the concrete bank and into a large storm drain.

"Hey, look!" Tails exclaimed and pointed to the fast-moving figure. "I'll bet that's Sonic!" Elias agreed and turned the buggy so that it would traverse the steep sides of the canal and land on the concrete bank.

"This looks interesting," Leeta commented. There was a rather large storm drain entrance that ended with a dead end. Inside it, however, there was a half-opened manhole cover leading downwards. It was eerie, however, because there seemed to be no one in sight for blocks. They each got out of the buggy and took out some flashlights.

"Here, I'll go first," Elias volunteered. He removed the manhole cover and turned on his flashlight and with that, he began climbing down the rusty old ladder that led into it.

"See anything?" asked Lyco anxiously.

"Um, darkness and more darkness but that's about-," he tried to say but a rather large explosion erupted from the walls of the passageway; knocking Elias off the ladder and face-first onto the grimy floor. Everyone outside shouted and ducked for cover as the fiery explosion rocketed out the manhole as well.

"ELIAS!" Lyco screamed. The Mobians outside quickly got to their feet and went to investigate. Lyco was quick to try and make it down there himself, but Tails and Leeta held her back.

"No, Lyco! That's a gas explosion! We can't go down there yet, it's too dangerous!" Tails breathlessly explained.

"ELIAS!? Can you hear us?! Are you alright?!" Leeta called frantically. No answer.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" asked Lyco.

"We'll call for help!" Tails answered and rushed over to the buggy and grabbed Elias' radio that he left by his seat. He punched a few numbers and was patched through to Sally.

"Team Two, what-," Sally tried to say, but a shocked Tails cut her off.

"Sally! Elias was down in some storm drain when there was an explosion! He might be horribly injured, or… or…" the young fox explained as best he could.

Sally's stomach and heart dropped. "Okay, Tails! Stay calm! Everything will be alright!" she reassured him. Although she wasn't too sure herself. Everyone else was listening in on the news, and Shard came up with an idea.

"Guys, I was listening to the police radio chatter. They say that anyone who goes down there gets mysteriously murdered and…" he began. Everyone waited intently for him to finish. "They said that all of the bodies are found at the outflow near the Route 101 Bridge…" he finished.

0ooOoo0

Elias couldn't believe he was still alive! Rattled, yes, but alive! He heard the others calling for him once he dodged the explosion, but he couldn't speak very well due to the smoke and discharge from the fires around him. He looked through the fire and saw two mysterious shapes. They were coming closer to him. Were they people? Could they help? Before he knew it, he was brutally bashed in the head with the butt of an assault rifle and carried off by two unidentifiable assailants. His vision became blurry, and his head became exhausted. He found that he barely had any strength left at all. He didn't know how long he was carried down through the tunnels and sewers beneath Station Square, but every now and then he could catch a glimpse of the moon through random open grilles and manholes.

After a while, his vision was beginning to return to him now that it was free of smoke and fumes. Now he could see that he was in an underground facility or construction site of some sorts. Full of both humans and Mobians working on numerous things. Some even looked like they were armed with guns. He could see that his attackers were burly Mobian tigers; each armed and dressed like they were a part of some militia. They dragged him over to a corner of a big, circular room made of concrete and steel beams. Below them ran a gushing stream of water, presumably leading to one of the outflows all over the city. The tigers dropped him before another Mobian who had his large, scaly, back turned to them as he sat in a chair looking at some computer monitors.

The komodo dragon's grey, scaly skin pulsated with muscles that seemed to run all over his fit physique. "Why are you here?" the mysterious Mobian asked. Elias was slowly coming to, and could hear the Mobian's voice. It reminded him of a refined British accent run through a grainy filter which seemed strange but fitting at the same time. There was a lot of power and intimidation behind every word this person uttered as it seemed to slightly boom outwards. Elias was suddenly kicked in his side by one of the thugs. "Go on, answer him!" the tiger ordered.

"_I was talking to you,_" the reptilian said to the thug, and turned to face them. He stood to his full height, over 6 feet tall; and his masked face focused on the tiger. "Oh, well, he's King Elias! He was sneaking around in the tunnels so…" the tiger tried to explain.

"So you brought him _here_?" the brutish komodo dragon seethed, and walked toward the tiger with his yellow and black eyes slicing into the tiger's own. "Bane, I- hurk!" the tiger yelped as the komodo dragon closed his claw around his neck, lifted him a full two feet off the ground, and crushed his throat like a soda can. The tiger was dead before he and his weapon fell to the ground with a *thud*. The other tiger just watched in horror, unable to move. Bane walked past the body and turned to the other tiger. "Search him for information. Then I will kill _you_," he ordered without batting an eye. The stunned Mobian silently nodded and began digging through Elias' clothes in search of any valuable information while Bane hovered around him.

The tiger eventually found something. "Look, it's a piece of paper- with writing on it," he said and held it up for Bane. Bane took the piece of paper from his lackey. "A piece of paper with writing on it," he mused. "Imagine that…" He skimmed through what was on the paper, and from the look in his eyes it greatly interested him.

Elias was now fully aware of where he was. He also knew that if he didn't escape then these people would murder him. So, he gathered all the strength he could and rolled sideways through a metal railing and fell into the gushing stream. His captors noticed right away and began firing everything they had into the water. Most of the bullets missed except one, which found its mark in the left side of Elias' torso. He yelled in pain but he was able to escape with his life. He was thrown into darkness as the current kept its speed and carried him farther down the tunnels.

"He's dead sir," the tiger who searched Elias reported as he looked over the railing. Bane walked over to confront him. "Then show me his body," he replied. The tiger looked confused. "We don't have his body; it was washed down with the current," he explained. "Then follow him," Bane told him. "I'm sorry sir I don't-," the tiger shuddered. Bane then handed him a tracking device and strapped it to his chest. "_Follow him,_" he ordered again, and then pulled out a pistol and shot the tiger in the stomach, causing him to fall over the railing and into the rushing water. His body began following Elias' same path.

0ooOoo0

Team One and Two's buggies sped along the concrete canal bank until they reached a large outflow not far from the Route 101 Bridge. They all got out and ran towards the discharge of water to find Elias, who was lying on the ground. He was badly injured as blood flowed out from his injury and he was covered in bruises. Sally rushed to her brother as he coughed up huge amounts of water. She was devastated to see him in such a condition but at least he was alive.

She cradled him in her arms as he began to regain consciousness. He recognized his sister and his friends around him and tried to say something but quickly fell into unconsciousness again. Tails quickly called an ambulance, which took them all to Station Square General Hospital. It was there that Elias was brought into surgery for his wounds as the others waited anxiously outside. It was then that they got a call from the authorities. They told them that Sonic the Hedgehog had turned himself in…

**End of Chapter 3…**

_**WOW. That was a much longer chapter than expected… Anyways leave a review if you enjoyed this installment! It would be much appreciated! : ) **_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics. _


	4. Reconciliation

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 4: Reconciliation **_

"Well Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog, It seems that the bullet has torn through your ligaments," a human doctor explained to the blue hedgehog. Sonic was inside a room at the Station Square General Hospital being treated for his wounds from the day before. He was handcuffed to the bed because he was still a fugitive and was currently under arrest. He turned himself in not long after he was shot because he figured that he would die if he wasn't treated for his wounds. He also felt an urge to end the seemingly futile chase he had recently initiated between himself and the law. He was tired of trying to outrun the truth. Sonic came to realize that sometimes you just had to settle down and let the truth have its day.

"So what will that mean for me, Doctor Kirk?" he asked. The doctor removed his glasses and sat down next to the Mobian. "I'm sorry to say, but, it means that you may never run as fast as you normally do again," he replied truthfully.

The news hit Sonic like a freight train. "What?!" he suddenly exclaimed. Doctor Kirk got up and pulled out a file with some x-rays inside. "Sonic, let me show you how serious this is…" he said. He grabbed one of the black sheets and placed them on a plaque on the wall for reading x-rays. It showed a picture of Sonic's bones in his legs, surrounded by a thin, white veil.

"You see, this is your cartilage," explained Kirk while he pointed at the white veil. "This blank spot on the x-ray means that you have virtually no usable cartilage in your right leg near the bullet's point of entry. So we had to remove it during your surgery." Sonic was beginning to understand. "At this point, I wouldn't recommend that you so much as _jog_," Kirk stated.

Sonic looked uneasily to the side, trying not to make any eye contact with the human. "Thanks doc," he murmured.

"Now, what I have just said may be shocking. But remember this; you're lucky to even be alive. Although, people with injuries like this usually go on to live normal, healthy lives!" Kirk said.

Sonic laughed a bit. "Sounds reassuring enough, but I can tell you that no matter what happens to me… my life will be _far_ from normal," he replied.

Kirk smiled in return. "Alright, then. I'll go get you a prescription for pain medicine and possibly a small brace," he said, and left the room. He held the door open for a smaller figure, however, one with two tails.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled, and ran to his friend's side.

"Hey, little buddy!" Sonic replied, and gave the young kit a noogie. "How are you feeling?"

"I should be asking you that question," Tails replied. His eyes fell on Sonic's leg which was still wrapped in bandages. "What did the doctor say?"

Sonic felt nervous about telling everyone about what happened last night and the outcome of his actions. "Well, uh, ya see…" he began. Tails' intent stare wouldn't let up. "I can't run anymore."

Tails' smile faded instantly. "Oh. Sonic… I'm… really sorry," the fox whispered as his ears lowered.

"It's going to be pretty different for me, but I'll manage," Sonic reassured his friend. "What about the others? Are they okay?"

Tails looked up at the hedgehog. "Yeah, they're all fine. Just really worried. Oh, and I don't know about Elias…" he replied.

Sonic's ears perked up. "What happened to Elias?" he asked with concern.

"We were looking for you last night when Elias went into a storm drain. There was a big explosion and we all assumed the worst. That is, until we found him near the bridge with a gunshot wound in his side…" the fox solemnly explained. "He's okay for now… I think…"

"Well he survived, didn't he? What's wrong with that?" asked Sonic.

"Um, once he got back from his surgery, he was talking about some scary stuff," Tails admitted.

"Like what?" asked Sonic.

"An underground army, masked monsters… really scary stuff to be honest!" Tails shivered.

Sonic pondered this for a moment and rubbed his chin. "Sounds fishy. We should go talk to him ourselves and see what it's about. Maybe he's onto something!" the hedgehog suggested. His curious look faded though, when he felt the chill of the steel handcuffs on his wrist. "Oh wait. I forgot. I'm under arrest and there are guards outside my room," he deadpanned.

A mischievous smile formed on Tails' muzzle as he pulled out a pink bobby pin. "Oh, that shouldn't be too much of a problem…" he laughed.

"Why do you have a pink bobby pin?" Sonic asked in confusion.

"It's Amy's bobby pin… and also her idea to use it to get you out of those handcuffs…" Tails replied.

Within seconds the two were descending the outside of the building on their way to Elias' room. Sonic hung on to Tails' as the two-tailed fox gently hovered downwards by spinning his namesakes. They finally reached Elias' room on the third floor and entered through the window. The others were outside in the hall, but Elias was still in his bed, recovering. He seemed confused when he saw the two enter his room. "Sonic and Tails?" he asked.

The two walked over to him and pulled up some chairs. "Your majesty," greeted Sonic.

"So, what happened to you last night?" Elias inquired. "Oh nothing… chased by some cops… shot in the leg… arrested… nothing special," Sonic smirked. "I can't run as well anymore and I might need a brace to do so, but I'm a trooper. I'll find a way to carry on," he added. "What I want to know though is what happened to _you_ last night."

Elias slowly turned his head towards the hedgehog and fox. "After I was hit by the explosion, I was captured and brought in front of some brute with a mask. He had to be the most intimidating Mobian I'd ever seen… his name was… what was it? Bane? Yes. _Bane_," Elias explained through his exhaustion. "That's all I could gather about him though."

"Hmm," murmured Tails as he wrote what Elias was saying on a notepad that he found nearby. "What was he doing?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I can tell you this- it wasn't good," Elias shuddered. "I didn't want to find out, so I acted quickly. I rolled into a roaring stream below where I was laying. They shot at me, and well, you probably know what happened after that," he sighed. "I am confident- that if I didn't get away in time… he would have killed me," he told the duo.

"Elias…" Sonic began.

"I tried to tell the authorities here, but they wouldn't believe me. They said it was the morphine," he explained with a scowl.

"We believe you, Elias," said Tails. "No matter what…" Sonic nodded firmly in agreement.

Elias held his side in pain and lay back down. "I have a very bad feeling about this whole situation. It feels like the calm before a storm. We are all going to be in this together," the king winced. "Sonic?" he asked. Sonic leaned forward closer to hear what he had to say. "_The Freedom Fighters have to come back_… before its too late," the squirrel declared softly.

Sonic was shocked by the king's statement. The Freedom Fighters were disbanded when Sally was roboticized and Naugus was crowned king. Even though Naugus was off the throne and his little turncoat sidekick Geoffrey St. John was in jail, the Freedom Fighters were still segmented and unorganized. Getting them back together would be a difficult task since Antoine was still in a coma and the city of New Mobotropolis was still recovering from the Battle Bird Armada's attack and Eggman.

Just then, they heard the door open. It was Amy, Sally, Lyco, Leeta, Shard, and Larry; who had come for a visit.

"SO-," Amy began to shout, but everyone else grunted and silenced her before she could complete her statement. She giggled sheepily and remembered that he wasn't supposed to be down there.

"How are you both feeling?" asked Larry.

"We've been better," Sonic replied and gave a thumbs up.

Sally came over to her brother and Sonic. "Sonic," she whispered. "Sal, I- huagh!" Sonic tried to say as she glomped him with a deep hug. "Sonic, I forgive you. Just come back with us and promise to never freak out like that again…" she cried. Sonic didn't know what to say. Even after all he had done, his friends still forgave him… After a while, everyone began to leave to prepare for the journey home. Although Sonic couldn't leave because he was still under arrest, and Elias had to stay at the Station Square General Hospital until he was fully healed.

After each of them made sure the two were alright, Sonic decided to say goodbye to Elias. "Elias, you have my word. I'll make sure this guy doesn't get anywhere near to those we care about. We'll get the Freedom Fighters back on track, so don't you worry!"

Within minutes, Sonic and Tails were back in Sonic's room. "Tails, when we get home… we have to look into this Bane guy. I don't want him to come after Elias or anyone else," Sonic said rather angrily. "_I swear that this is the last time someone else gets hurt because of me!"_…

**End of Chapter 4…**

_**If you have enjoyed the story so far, then feel free to drop a review. They're always welcome! Stay tuned for the next installment soon!**_

_**Thanks for your reviews, Double Eclipse!**_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics. _


	5. Home

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 5: Home**_

The sun was beginning to ascend over the horizon when the Tornado and the ship, "Freedom Fighter Special" (FFS) glided into the King Frederick Airfield at New Mobotropolis. They had stopped earlier at the Wolf Nation since that's where Lyco and Leeta lived and they had to drop them off. Tails and Amy had arrived on the Tornado. Princess Sally was the first one out of the FFS, followed by Larry, Shard, and last but not least- Sonic; who was surrounded by Royal Guards. He still had handcuffs on but wore a miniscule smile on his face. The guards poked and prodded him as if they had caught some dangerous criminal. All of those qualities were technically true, however.

Bunnie, Rotor, Big the Cat, and Cream all welcomed the returning heroes (and convicted felon) at the airfield. Sally and Elias' parents; the former King Maximilian- who was in a wheelchair and Queen Alicia Acorn were also there.

"We're so glad that you made it home safe and sound!" Alicia laughed, and gave Sally a gentle hug. Her father maneuvered over to her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Yes we are, Sally!" he added. He then looked to her side, as if he was expecting someone else to be there with her. "Where is Elias?" he asked.

"I'm sorry to say, but, he was injured pretty badly. He's going to have to stay for at least two more weeks to recover," Sally explained solemnly. Her parents were deeply upset by this news. "Well I hope he'll be well enough to continue his term on his permanent seat in the council," Alicia commented. "He's a very good leader," Maximilian added. "I doubted him in the beginning, but I feel that he has proven his strength. Even though the people of this city may not always approve of him; we will…" he stated. "What happened to him?"

Sally blinked and looked over to Sonic, who was in the process of being led to the city's prison. "We went out looking for Sonic, when he got into trouble with some thugs," she explained. "Elias and Sonic both seem very worried about them. I don't know if we should be so worried too, though."

The king coughed. "Well I have to say that I'm infuriated that Elias was almost killed because of that blue maniac, Sonic!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Max!" Alicia scolded. Her husband looked to her for a second then began to leave. Alicia followed him, but not after apologizing to Sally. Sally understood though, even though Sonic was a hero- what he did was pretty despicable. She'd be surprised if the people of Mobius forgave him for what he did.

Meanwhile, Sonic was almost to the gate of the New Mobotropolis prison. It was a tall, rounded tower with an outer wall encasing it and a small yard in between the two other parts. A doorman who was sorting papers and guard had replaced the electronic control panel that controlled the front gate since Nicole wasn't there anymore- and couldn't "interfere" with the city's systems. "Ay, we've got Sonic here. Which cell does he go to?" asked one of Sonic's guards.

The door guard, who was a wolverine, gave him a confused look. "Oh, him? Well you see he isn't sentenced to prison anymore," he explained.

Sonic perked up his ears to hear more. The guards were speechless. "Wha- what do you mean he's not sentenced to prison anymore? He robbed a bank…" one of them said.

"Someone came and paid his bail; 600,000 Mobiums," the wolverine replied, and went back to sorting papers. The guards looked at one another and at Sonic.

"Who the hell could have possibly paid his bail?" asked another guard as they let the hedgehog go.

"That would be me," replied a mysterious yet somehow familiar voice. Everyone turned to find out who this person was. To everyone's shock- it was none other than Mammoth Mogul. "I couldn't bear the thought of Mobius' hero rotting away in a prison cell for the rest of his life," Sonic's former enemy explained. "The world just wouldn't be the same without him," he added, and leaned on his cane.

"Why did you do this?" Sonic asked warily.

"Well, as you know, since I gave up my life of conquests and crime- I have built my own casino in Casinopolis," the mammoth began, straightening his white suit. "I have run into a bit of trouble with my competitors in the area and they seem to have taken a vendetta against me. My casino floors have been robbed almost monthly since last year… and I suspect that its Renfield's doing," he explained with a hint of distaste in his voice.

Sonic tapped his foot and crossed his arms. "So what do you want me to do about it?" he asked Mogul.

"I have lost all of my powers and my immortality, young one. I am nothing but an old man with a forgotten legacy these days… I can't do this myself, and I don't want to lose the only thing I have left in this world- which is my business. I was hoping that you and your friends could come up with enough evidence to send that ne'er do well back to prison. He just got out and is already making trouble. Word on the street is that his newfound success is in part contributed to his new *ahem* friends…" he explained.

"What friends?" asked the now curious blue hedgehog.

Mogul leaned closer to Sonic. "Mercenaries from the far east…" he murmured. "Rumors of a secret organization derived from the four ninja clans. Comprised of ruthless, trained killers and genius tacticians. Mysterious in their methods and hidden in the execution of their tasks," Mogul explained. "They were relatively unknown until about 3 years ago, when the Xorda attacked a second time and were defeated. Apparently they are very interested in Xorda weaponry and have actually obtained a few pieces." He added.

Sonic digested all of what Mogul had to say very carefully. "Alright. We'll do our best to help you out," he finally said.

Mogul's huge hand shook Sonic's smaller one and the deal was struck. As Sonic was walking away, Mammoth Mogul pulled out a warp ring and called to Sonic. "Sonic, tell your friends to be extremely cautious on this job," he warned. Sonic turned to hear more. "Anyone else I assigned to it was either found dead or not found at all…"

Sonic nodded in affirmation. "We'll be safe, don't worry," he replied.

"I hope so. And be extra cautious if you find their rumored leader- a komodo dragon… he's been known to decimate anyone who stands against him," Mogul added.

"And who's that?" asked Sonic with interest.

The mammoth activated the warp ring and prepared to walk through it, but not before answering Sonic's question. "…They call him _Bane_…"

0ooOoo0

"You are gonna love what Nicole and I have been working on, Tails!" Rotor said to the young fox as he led him down the caverns below Castle Acorn. The catacombs Rotor was leading Tails down were covered in rock, sand and glowing crystals.

"Is it the energy project that we started a while back?" asked Tails with interest.

"Sort of, we made a few changes here and there, but ultimately it's the end result of what we worked so hard on," the walrus replied. They came to a steel door and a wall-mounted control pad, which Rotor placed his paw on. The machine scanned his prints and opened the sliding steel door. The two walked through into a rather large steel room that was filled with machines and monitors. This was a secret laboratory below the city that housed the space needed for Tails and others to experiment and invent. It was also one of the last places where the city's former AI protector and maintainer, Nicole, could project herself as a hologram (The laboratory, the council chambers, and Freedom HQ in Knothole).

In the center of the room was a large apparatus with metal arms that held a sphere-shaped machine in place. "So this is it?" asked Tails as he walked up to the device.

"Yep. Just imagine! If we can get this reactor to become operational, it could supply clean-energy for an entire city!" Rotor replied optimistically.

Just then, Nicole materialized next to them in her lynx form. "As a matter of fact, it could supply clean-energy to a whole continent if we perfect this reactor's design," she added.

"Hi Nicole," Tails greeted.

"Hi guys. I was making some last-minute modifications to the reactor before you returned," she explained. "It was difficult at first; working on a new piece of equipment, but I think I helped improve it a bit."

"We think you did a wonderful job," Rotor complemented her with a smile.

"Yeah, you seriously improved it!" Tails exclaimed.

Nicole could feel the pixels on her face change color. "Oh, it wasn't a problem. I don't think I improved it that much, though!" she laughed.

"Nonsense!" Rotor reassured her. "You have always been an invaluable help to us."

"And always will be," Tails added.

Nicole felt a smile creep across her holographic face. She knew that amidst all the prejudice that was wrongfully focused on her, she still had a few good friends.

0ooOoo0

That evening, Sonic and Sally were walking through one of the many halls of Castle Acorn- which was still under repair. "Sal, do you know anything about a person named 'Bane'?" Sonic asked her.

The chipmunk didn't know what he was talking about. "Well I, no," she replied. Then it came to her. "Oh, well, before his surgery Elias was going on about someone named Bane," she recalled.

Sonic nodded in affirmation. "I talked to him before you guys came in after his surgery. He said that before he escaped he was brought to a Mobian named Bane," Sonic explained. "He told me that he was also up to something down in those sewers and that he didn't like the look of it."

"Well what do you think it is?" asked the princess.

"I don't know. Even Elias wasn't totally sure," the hedgehog replied. "It might have something to do with that job Mogul just gave us today, though," he added.

"What do you mean?" asked Sally, becoming intrigued.

"Mogul said that he thinks Renfield is pulling robberies in the casinos around Casinopolis. And ironically, he thinks that this Bane guy might be helping him out," Sonic explained. "He also told me that he's the presumed leader of an organization of mercenaries from the Dragon Kingdom, and has access to Xorda weapons."

"Whoa, hold on! You didn't mention any of this at the briefing!" Sally said, and stopped him. "If we're going to go head to head with brutal, Xorda weapon-packing mercenaries we should take some extra precautions!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry! We're taking the Chaotix with us- Some of the toughest guys around! Besides they always want to tag along and help whenever there's a case to solve," Sonic replied humorously.

"Oh well, its not like we haven't dealt with this kind of thing before…" Sally mused.

"I should also mention that tomorrow, Tails and I are going to fly out to the Dragon Kingdom and pay old 'Monkey Fuzz' a visit," Sonic added sheepishly.

"Why are you guys going over there to annoy Kahn?" Sally joked.

"Haven't seen him in a while… Plus I kind of want to get some more information on this Bane character. And I figured that if this person's from the Dragon Kingdom then the best place to look for info on him would be… the Dragon Kingdom!" Sonic replied.

"Very good, Sonic," Sally muttered. "Well we don't have to leave for Casinopolis for two days anyway so it doesn't seem like a bad idea."

"I always have the best ideas, don't I?" the blue hedgehog smiled. There was an awkward silence for a moment or two. The two kept walking along, keeping to themselves.

"We were all really worried about you when you left," Sally said out of the blue, and the mood quickly changed. The hedgehog at her side looked at her with solemn eyes. "The others and I could say the same thing about you. When you were roboticized," he replied.

"That was different," the princess countered. "I did terrible things because I had to. I was being controlled by Eggman. You did those things because you wanted to. You did them through your own free will…"

Sonic had to admit that Sally was right. "I can't argue with that logic, Sal," he confessed. Now they had moved out onto one of the many balconies encircling the main structure. The sun was beginning to set and it cast an orange hue over the valley where New Mobotropolis was located.

"It's weird. You've never done anything like that before," Sally added.

"I know. I've never thought about doing anything like that before I was doing them," Sonic replied.

"What caused you to rob that bank and run from the law?" Sally asked suddenly, and Sonic gave her his attention. "What caused you to run from your friends and family?" she added with a small catch in her throat.

"Sally… I just feel responsible for what happened to you and Antoine. I wasn't fast enough in both cases. And now…" he said, and looked to the brace on his leg. "I don't think I'll be fast enough for anything."

"Don't say that, Sonic. None of us here blame you for what happened to me or Antoine!" Sally replied fervently.

"What about Elias then?" replied Sonic. "He got shot because he was out there looking for _me_," he seethed. "God forbid someone else got hurt because of me. I can't forgive myself for what I have put you, Antoine, Elias, and this city through. I'm surprised others can."

Sally could only look at him. Before the whole ordeal with the Death Egg and Naugus, Sonic was the most confident guy she knew. Now he was acting as if he should be on a suicide watch. "Sonic, I decided to take the hit with the roboticizer to spare everyone else. You couldn't have stopped me if you tried, because I wasn't going to stand around and do nothing while you were locked in combat with that robot!" she passionately explained. "Sometimes you can't do everything by yourself…" she added softly. "We're all in this together."

Sonic leaned on his elbows and looked out into the city. "What about Antoine? He was battling a robot that was coming for me, and he was almost killed by it," he replied.

"Antoine was trying to protect you and everyone else. He was performing his duty and I know he would have gladly given his life for any one of us," Sally explained. "Not everyone is as weak and helpless as you think…" she added rather harshly. Sonic was taken aback by this. "I'm getting the feeling that because you take so much responsibility for others and have now in your eyes failed them; you can see only one end to your journey," Sally declared. "All your recent actions have showed that you no longer want to try and set an example. You have slowly been destroying yourself in front of all of us!"

"You're afraid that I'll fail?" asked Sonic in disbelief.

Sally began to tear up. "No. I'm afraid that you _want_ to."

**End of Chapter 5…**

_**A/N: I know there has been a lot of talking and little action in these last two chapters, but I feel that it helps the story along and fleshes out the characters more. It also sets things up for the future chapters where everything gets… I don't want to spill any spoilers… but… when big stuff happens. In the meantime, feel free to write a review and tell me what you think about this story. They're always welcome! U WIL LIKE WUTEVR I PUT ON PAPR! Sorry.**_

_**Also, is anyone here on DeviantART? If so then do you think it would be a good idea for me to upload this story there, too? Tell me what you think. **_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics. _


	6. Answers

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 6: Answers**_

Sonic and Tails had flown the Tornado over the Mobian sea and to the heart of the Dragon Kingdom. It was located on the continent of Yurashia; an Eastern-like area of Mobius modeled after such places as China and Japan. This was because it was located on the former site of Asia when the Xorda Gene Bomb hit the planet during the 21st century. The Mobians that lived there adopted the culture and philosophies of their predecessors and continued to live by said rules even now.

Tails brought his biplane low over a bamboo field and landed in a grassy clearing, not far from a village. The fox shut off the engine and he and Sonic got out. They walked for five minutes or so until they came across a red, wooden bridge which marked the entrance to Stormtop Village. It was a charming little township, but it had seen better days. It was home to the "free people" of the Dragon Kingdom who opposed the now extinguished rule of the Iron Dominion. Since the Dominion's defeat their ruler, a techno mage by the name of Regina Ferrum- the Iron Queen was locked away in the town's prison. Her empire was diminished and her minions defected to one of the four ninja clans in the area. The Shinobi, Yagyu, Raiju, and Gossamer clans each fought for control over the Dragon Kingdom- but none of them seemed to be making any progress. Each of the clans were composed of only one race of Mobian; Shinobi's were chameleons, Yagyu's were bats, Raiju's were lynxes, and Goassamers were spiders.

The hedgehog and fox walked through the quaint and quiet village, getting awkward stares from its inhabitants. They walked up to a rather large pagoda that they knew very well- the Temple of the Golden Lotus. Monkey Kahn was sure to be there. They walked in and looked at the huge, golden statue of a monkey surrounded by candles. As they admired the ancient piece of art, a familiar voice greeted them. "Ah, Sonic and Tails!" they heard Monkey Kahn say. "Long time no see," he said to them. Sure enough, Kahn was walking about the temple as he usually did. He walked over to them and shook both of their hands. "What brings you here on such a gloomy day?" he asked them.

Sonic closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "What's wrong?" the monkey asked him. Sonic opened his eyes again and spoke. "How much do you know about mercenaries?" the blue hedgehog asked.

Monkey Kahn looked at the hedgehog. "Why? Are you seeking some?" he asked warily.

"Not really- just one in particular…" the hedgehog replied.

Monkey Kahn brought the hand that wasn't holding his staff to his head. "Oh, so it's one of _those_ situations, huh?" he joked. "Well then, which one did you have in mind?"

Sonic seemed to become uneasy for he didn't know how the mercenary in question was connected to the Dragon Kingdom and its people. He would have to be extremely cautious when talking about him. "Uh, what do you know about a komodo dragon named Bane?" the cobalt hedgehog asked.

Monkey Kahn wore a dumbfounded expression. "Well I hate to say it, but nothing," he sadly replied. "Um, maybe Li-Yuen knows something. He's older than I and knows a lot more about the history of these parts."

Just then a sliding door opened, and in came a wise-looking, old lion and a young, red fox. "Li-moon, please don't-," the old lion shouted to the young fox. The fox girl ran up to Sonic and Tails and gave each of them an enormous hug. "Never mind…" the lion chuckled.

"Hey, Li-moon!" Tails greeted.

"I've missed you two so much!" the girl laughed. She looked at Tails. "You want to see the garden we're working on?" she asked.

"Sounds uh, interesting!" Tails replied with a blush. Li Moon took Tails' hand and led him outside.

"Li Yuen?" Monkey Kahn asked the lion. "Sonic and I want to ask you something."

"And what is that?" asked the elderly lion with interest.

"Do you know anything about a mercenary named Bane?" asked Sonic fruitfully.

Li Yuen's friendly expression faded into one of dread. "Unfortunately, young ones… I do," he sighed. "Come. Walk with me."

Li Yuen, Sonic, and Monkey Kahn proceeded to take a walk along the outside of Stormtop Village- which was essentially one huge Zen garden. They waited until they were out of the earshot of the villagers to discuss Sonic's query.

"In a more ancient part of the Dragon Kingdom- there is a prison," Li Yuen began as Sonic and Kahn listened intently. "A dark, shadow-filled pit where men are thrown to suffer. The place was built to demolish the morale and the souls of whoever was unlucky enough to be sent there. It was also supposed to be inescapable," the lion explained.

"Supposed to be?" Sonic asked hesitantly.

"You mean someone successfully escaped?" asked Kahn.

"There was one. A long time ago in a distant region, there was a soldier who committed heinous war crimes. The Emperor ruled that he was to spend the remainder of his life inside the aforementioned prison. To the Emperor's disappointment, the soldier was killed during a war with a neighboring providence- so he couldn't serve his sentence. Instead, the law at the time dictated that if one could not serve his term in confinement, then his heir would serve it in his place," Li Yuen explained.

"So what does that mean?" asked Sonic.

"The soldier's pregnant wife was brought to the prison, where she gave birth to her first and last child- a male. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth so the infant was left alone to carry out his father's sentence. Life in prison. Surrounded by murderers, thieves, and deviants in complete darkness- as a mere child…" the lion explained heavily.

"That's so cruel…" Sonic shuddered.

"He spent his childhood in the darkness, with no one to care for him. This would change him from a mere orphan into a cruel, hardened monster. Instead of a mother and father, he had inmates- who had conducted the most appalling crimes known to civilization. He grew into a young man and by the age of twelve, he had killed more inmates than anyone else in the prison's ancient history," Li Yuen said.

"So what happened to him?" asked Kahn.

Li Yuen took a small breath and continued. "One time, the once unbreakable rules of the prison were trodden on. One time, the pit sent something _back_ into the world…"

"…_Bane_…" Sonic whispered, still in shock from the lion's story.

Li Yuen solemnly nodded and looked toward the horizon. The grey sky meshed with the snow-capped mountains of the east beautifully. "Born and raised… in hell on earth," he said. "Bane found a way out of the pit. He would be the only one in history to do it. What's even more shocking- is that he did it at the age of only seventeen…"

"Whoa…" Kahn gasped.

"Damn," Sonic swore.

"After he escaped, he went to seek out one of the ninja clans. He found the Shinobi, and trained with them first. They accepted him because they knew of his triumph over the prison, and every clan wanted to be the one to take him in. They should have been careful for what they wished for, though, because as soon as he finished training with the Shinobi he was excommunicated," Li Yuen explained.

"Why was he kicked out?" asked Sonic.

"They claimed that his methods were too extreme," the lion replied matter-of-factly. "After he was excommunicated, he tried training with the other three clans. Next he went to the Raiju clan, which also trained him to his best potential- then kicked him out. This pattern continued until he had successfully trained with all four ninja clans. He mastered all of their fighting strategies and techniques, and because of that, he was not only strong but he was skilled and intelligent as well…" the lion explained.

Sonic thought about Li Yuen's story and what it entailed. "Where did he go after that?" he asked.

"No one knows for sure. He disappeared after he finished his training and hasn't returned since," Li Yuen explained. "That was years ago."

Sonic stopped and began walking the opposite direction. "Thanks guys! I'm really sorry I have to leave, but Tails and I have important business to attend to! Catch you later!" he said suddenly and darted off. Monkey Kahn didn't like what Sonic was up to, so he followed him.

"Sonic! Wait up!" the monkey shouted, and used his staff to create a small cloud of magic that he could fly on.

Sonic had already gotten Tails, and they were walking towards the Tornado. "Sonic! I need to know what you're up to!" Kahn yelled as he flew towards them on his cloud. The hedgehog only gave him a fleeting glance before climbing into the airplane.

"Please tell me you're not going after Bane," Kahn said in confrontation.

"Our current situation has _him_ going after _us_ soon," Sonic replied.

"Whatever you're planning to do- don't do it! It's too dangerous- even for you!" Kahn warned.

"Don't try and stop me, Kahn," Sonic retorted. "This guy had Elias shot and who knows how many other people killed! He has to pay!"

"Sonic, listen to me. Anyone who was too extreme for the ninja clans is _not_ to be trifled with!" Kahn explained with concern.

"If we don't do something and no one stands up to him, then he'll just keep doing what he's doing. Then it will be too late when he finally strikes with… whatever he's planning. We have to act now!" the hedgehog countered.

"I'm warning you as a friend, Sonic. Don't be a fool. Choose your battles wisely!" the monkey replied in desperation.

Sonic tapped Tails on the shoulder without looking twice at Monkey Kahn. Tails, who didn't feel comfortable in the situation, started the engine and began to take off. Kahn watched as the two flew away in the Tornado, praying to his ancestors that they would be safe.

0ooOoo0

High above Casinopolis in one of the many casinos, Renfield T. Rodent sat at his large, oak desk inside a posh office. Before him lay a long, elegant table- which a gang of Mobians was sitting at. Who were they? Well they were none other than the feared Destructix; Sergeant Simian, Flying Frog, Predator Hawk, and Lightning Lynx. Two other Mobians also sat at the table; Scourge the Hedgehog- Sonic's evil doppelganger, and Fiona Fox- turncoat Freedom Fighter and Scourge's girlfriend. Renfield looked at the assembled Mobians and picked up a list with their names on it.

"Alright, where is Drago Wolf?" he asked, obviously confused.

"He left our gang to join Eggman. Freaking sellout…" Simian seethed.

Renfield blinked his eyes and moved onto the next person who was missing from the meeting. "Uh, where's Sleuth Dog?" the rat asked.

"He also left our gang. Said it was for _personal reasons_…" Lightning answered.

Renfield rubbed his temple in frustration. "Why does no one tell me these things?!" he yelled.

"Whoa! Chill out!" replied Scourge. "We didn't know it was our job to tell you who left the gang! Maybe you should have put it in the job description," he sneered, and Fiona giggled slyly.

Renfield rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay then," he said and looked at his list again. "Ugh. Where the hell is Bane?!" he shouted.

"Speak of the devil…" they all heard a voice say. The entire room turned around to look at the doorway, where Bane had just walked in from. "…And he shall appear…" the komodo dragon finished coldly, and stalked into the room towards Renfield- clutching the collar of his black leather coat and bullet-proof armor. The other Mobians eyes tracked the imposing reptile while they discreetly gave him a wide berth by scooting their chairs away from him.

"Ah, good. You finally made it!" Renfield greeted, and walked up to the reptile- who was almost twice as tall as him. "Uh, I think you did a great job during that heist last Wednesday, but you still have a terrible habit of turning up to my meetings _late_," the rat condescended.

Bane's expressional eyes leered into the rodent's. "My apologies. I did not know that I was obligated to be on time to things that become _wastes of time_," he replied, and Renfield's smile dissipated.

"Ooh. Ouch!" Flying whispered to Simian.

"Well they aren't _wastes of time_," the rat retorted, mocking Bane's voice. "They are important meetings to discuss plans for the robberies!"

"That prissy little mouse is gonna get his head bashed in..." Scourge sneered.

"What plan do we need?" asked the reptile. "At every one of these robberies, my men and I walk in and steal the money. No one dares try to stop us. The police here don't even have weapons…"

"Well that's because they're outlawed here," replied Renfield.

"Not surprising… pacifism… just one of the many defective qualities of our race, is it not?" Bane growled and cocked his head to the side, making a small cracking sound.

Renfield could only blink in confusion. "Bane, sometimes I can't even follow your train of thought!" he exclaimed hopelessly, and turned to the other Mobians. "Anyway, we might have reason to be worried- I just got word from one of our moles in the police force that detectives are on their way here tomorrow. To investigate my operations here, no less," he explained.

"Great… We're gonna get scammed again, aren't we?" Predator groaned.

"Shut up! We'll do whatever it takes to get our share of the cheese… and by cheese, Renfield, I mean… cash," Flying countered.

"Oh yes, I promise you. You will all get your fare share if this _last_ job is done right," Renfield ensured.

"What do you mean, _last_?" asked Fiona inquisitively.

"I mean that tomorrow night's heist is the last one I'm going to pull. This time I'm really going to get my effort's worth from this job. You guys are going to steal some accounting codes for me so that I can tap into Casinopolis' entire trade and currency network. I figure that I should stop while I'm ahead since the police are beginning to pick up on my trail- and with the codes we collect from the next job I'll have enough to close that margin. After paying your shares, of course…" the rat explained.

"Our previous jobs have been successful…" Bane put in. "Why did you hire them?" he added, turning his head towards the other Mobians.

"Well since you sent your men off… god knows where to do god knows what, I figured that you might want some help. Besides, it's the last job and we don't want to take any chances," Renfield explained.

Bane looked at the other Mobians once more and turned back to Renfield. "If you insist then…" he growled, and started walking out the door.

When he was gone, Renfield turned to the Mobians in front of him. "I tell you… that guy is _not_ right in the head," Renfield whispered to them.

"I wouldn't say that…" Lightning murmured under his breath.

"Luckily, it's not his head that we need… It's his muscle!" the rat added.

"I like that guy," Scourge chuckled, and slipped his shades on.

"Really?" asked Fiona, who was sitting next to him. "Scares the hell outta me…"

**End of Chapter 6…**

_**A/N: Alright! I PROMISE that things will heat up in the next chapter! Don't leave! NOOOOOooooooo!**_

_**If you enjoyed the chapter or story, please leave a review and tell me what you think and if I can improve on anything! Thank you! : )**_

_As always, characters are owned by SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics. _


	7. Clash

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 7: Clash**_

"Augh!" Sonic winced as Tails tightened a few metal rings on his right leg. They were in their hotel room in Casinopolis, and Sonic was sitting on the edge of his bed while Tails worked on his bum leg.

"Sorry, Sonic. But this new brace I developed will help you run at a normal speed. Not as fast as you could before- but just fast enough to keep up with the able-bodied," Tails explained, and went back to working on his leg. After he was done, Sonic stood up and walked around. He jogged in place, and then did a few back flips, all with ease. "Hey, this is great!" he exclaimed happily.

He then tried a few fighting moves, and in the process of doing so kicked the wall of the room. It easily gave way to the powerful kick, and even Sonic and Tails were stunned. "Whoa. This is _really_ great!" the hedgehog said in awe as he admired his handiwork. "Way past cool, Tails! Thanks," he said to his friend.

"Don't mention it! You're gonna need all the strength you can get today, because if something happens, we'll need you right there in the fight with us!" the kit replied. They both heard a small buzzing sound, and Tails reached into his backpack. "It's my communicator… Sally says that she wants me to help set up our surveillance room with her, Charmy, Saffron, and Ray. Then she says that she wants you to get downstairs and meet with the rest of the Chaotix," Tails read.

"Sure thing," Sonic replied and began walking out the door.

"Sonic?" Tails asked, and Sonic waited for him to finish. "Be careful."

0ooOoo0

Sonic walked down to the lobby of the posh hotel that was connected to Mogul's casino. There he found Knuckles, Julie-Su, Vector, Espio, and Mighty waiting for him. "Long time no see!" Knuckles greeted. Sonic walked up to the Chaotix and greeted each of them. "I'm really thankful for all your help, guys," the hedgehog smiled.

"Don't mention it!" replied Vector. "Whenever there's a case involved, you can be sure we'll be there!"

"Sally already briefed us on the ride over here," Espio said. "So, when do we begin gathering information?"

"Renfield walks through his casino floor every day to glad-hand the high rollers around this time. We can talk to him then," replied Julie-Su.

"Okay, then. Let's go," replied Sonic, and they set off from Mogul's casino to the one across the street, which was Renfield's. They entered the elegant lobby and made their way to the casino- where they found Renfield talking to some of the higher-betting gamblers. When he was finished conversing with them, he turned around and shouted. "Aah!" he cried and put his hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion.

Sonic and the few Chaotix members were standing right behind him, looking as if they had caught him doing something wrong. _"What the hell?"_ Renfield gasped in confusion. "Wha- what are you all doing here?!" he seethed as he looked around as if to see if anyone was coming to arrest him.

"Hello, _old friend_," Knuckles murmured viciously.

"Why are you all here? I didn't do anything wrong!" the rat said, trying to defend himself.

"We never said you did…" Sonic replied. Renfield gulped and began to sweat.

"Say, any of these slot machines hypnotize people?" Vector asked.

"N-no! Of course not!" the rat stuttered.

"What about the food? Is it poisonous?" asked Mighty.

"Heh. Ha. Um, very-," Renfield managed to squeak out.

"What about that dealer over there?" Sonic asked as he pointed. "Is he a robot?"

"NO! None of those things are true! I've severed my ties with Eggman long ago! Even _before_ he died!" Renfield found himself blurting out. A couple patrons looked his way, and he quickly settled down.

"Well word on the street is that you've made a _new_ friend. Haven't you?" Knuckles asked the rodent.

"I have no idea what you freaks are talking about!" Renfield huffed.

"Look, we're not here to arrest you… _yet_," Julie-Su told him.

"Yeah, we're just here to ask you a few questions," Espio added.

Renfield looked at the detectives and sighed. "Alright. I can handle that…" he replied calmly.

Vector took out a notepad and pencil, ready to take notes. Knuckles began questioning the rodent. "Okay, so what do you know about the robberies that have been going on lately?" he asked nonchalantly.

Renfield slowly started to walk away. "Okay, you know what? I was wrong. I can't handle these questions!" he complained, and turned to the detectives. "Get out of here before I call security!" he demanded, and hurried away as fast as he could. The others sat there, stunned by his outburst.

"Well I guess that concludes questioning…" Julie-Su remarked.

On the other side of the casino floor, Renfield hastily pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. A faint voice on the other end answered. "Hey, Scourge! It's me, Renfield," he said. "We're in deep shit now! Sonic and the Chaotix are here, and they are on to us!" he explained. "No, I am not pulling your leg! You tell Bane and the others that they're here, and to be prepared for tonight's robbery!" he ordered. "And be ready yourself, cause I have a feeling that things are about to get _messy_," he warned.

0ooOoo0

Later that night, Sonic and Tails were back in their hotel room- getting ready for whatever was going to happen. "We got everything in the surveillance room situated," Tails said to Sonic, who was re-aligning his leg brace. "Here," he said and gave the hedgehog an earpiece.

"What's this?" Sonic asked.

"It's a communicator so that we can keep in touch with you and the Chaotix," Tails explained. "You're gonna be responsible for the communication on your team, so try not to damage it in a fight."

"No prob, Tails!" the blue hedgehog replied. "Well, I should probably get going…"

"I'm gonna be going to. They need me to help with monitoring you guys," Tails added.

The duo made their way down the hallway outside their room, where they saw Sally and Knuckles waiting. "Are you guys ready?" asked Sally.

"More than we ever will be," replied Sonic.

"Sonic, Knuckles, we'll be monitoring your team from this room," Sally explained motioning to a door beside her. It was open and they could already see Charmy, Saffron, and Ray inside. Tails entered the room and greeted the others.

"Good luck, you guys!" the fox said to Sonic and Knuckles.

"Same to you guys!" Knuckles replied. "Let's go Sonic." As they were beginning to leave, Sally stopped Sonic with a tap on the shoulder.

"Sonic?" she asked him. The blue hedgehog stopped to listen. "Don't do anything stupid, please?" she asked with a smile. Sonic returned the smile and nodded before following Knuckles.

0ooOoo0

"So, uh, you think we'll see any cute girls here?" Mighty whispered to Vector. They were sitting at a lounge inside of the three major gaming floors of Mogul's casino, and were keeping a lookout for any suspicious activity.

"Stay focused, Mighty! This is the most important job we've had since last month!" Vector replied, and went back to checking out the scene.

"Sorry, Vec! Just got bored I guess," the armadillo sighed. "Are these 'robbers' even gonna show up? My eyes are getting heavy!"

"Then go to sleep! If something goes down I'll either wake you up or use your hard shell as a projectile. Sound good?" the croc retorted.

On another gaming floor, Sonic and Knuckles were standing guard. "You guys see anything yet?" Sonic asked Tails through his communicator.

"_Negative. Looks like any other casino at this time of night…"_ Tails replied.

Sonic sighed in disappointment. "Alright, thanks. We'll keep you posted," he replied.

On the third and final gaming floor, Espio and Julie-Su were on patrol. "So I heard that you and Knuckles are going to get married…" Espio said to Julie-Su.

"Yes, he proposed a week ago!" the echidna happily replied, and showed him her ring. It was gold with a small emerald embroidered on the top. "Our wedding is going to be in five months."

"Well I must say that I am very happy for you two!" the chameleon said with a smile. "After all, it seemed like you were dating for years."

"Don't remind me!" Julie-Su laughed. "I'm just happy he finally settled down and wants to commit to this, you know?"

Back in the surveillance room, Charmy noticed something on his monitor. "Hey, check it out!" the young bee exclaimed. Everyone rushed over to see what he found. "You'll never guess who just walked into the casino!" Everyone looked and saw that it was a familiar face.

"Fiona?!" Sally asked in surprise.

"W-what's s-she doing h-here?" asked Ray.

Tails' stomach and heart dropped at the same time. "Fiona…" he groaned.

Sonic heard Tails trying to call him through his communicator so he answered. "What is it, Tails?" he asked eagerly.

"Um, Sonic? F-Fiona just walked into your area…" the fox replied sadly. The hedgehog immediately tensed up.

"Great. What's she doing here?" he scowled. He got up and turned to Knuckles. "Fiona's here," he told him.

"Get out!" Knuckles said in disbelief. Sure enough though Fiona Fox, who was wearing a black cocktail dress, walked past them and headed into a lounge area adjacent from her former friends.

"You stay here. I'm gonna go find out why she's here…" Sonic said to Knuckles. Sonic got up and began to walk over to her. The vixen sat down at a low table with cushioned seats, and looked around at the various patrons. Sonic was quick to follow her and he sat down at the same table. She looked up as he seated himself, and a mischievous grin crept across her face.

"So, finally decided to wise up and come after me, did you?" she asked suggestively.

"What are you doing here Fiona? What are you up to?" the hedgehog asked, unfazed by her behavior.

The vixen rolled her eyes and yawned. "Well if you must know, I'm taking a break from Scourge and his constant antics," she remarked.

Sonic smiled and laughed a bit. "So you've realized that the grass isn't always _greener_ on the other side, huh?" he asked.

"Oh stop being so full of yourself!" she replied haughtily. "You think you're a hot shot because you gave old Eggman a heart attack…"

"Hey, I had nothing to do with that!" Sonic defended. "We don't know the whole story anyway- the guy was found dead. Some think he committed suicide and some think Snively killed him. I'm an advocate of the Snively homicide theory. Who could blame the little guy…"

"Whatever," Fiona huffed.

"Because of his death, things have been relatively peaceful anyway… Antoine is still in the hospital, but Sally is back to normal and Knuckles is getting married," Sonic explained. "For me though… I don't know," he trailed off.

"What do you mean?" asked Fiona with genuine interest.

Sonic realized that he might have given away more than he wanted to, but decided to tell her what was on his mind. "Well, things have been a little weird with me and Sally lately. She says that she forgives me for not being able to save her from getting roboticized, but, I can't help but feel that she thinks it's because I have a lot of devotion to Mobius. Plus I've been thinking about some possibilities…." He explained.

"Like what?" the fox asked.

"What if I'm causing more harm than good, Fiona? Metal Sonic was coming for me when Antoine was caught in the crossfire. I was fighting that Silver Sonic robot when Sally was roboticized. And just recently, Elias was shot trying to look for me- after I had robbed a bank and went into hiding…" the hedgehog said.

"You _what_?!" exclaimed Fiona.

"I'm just thinking that maybe because things are getting back to normal- I don't have a place on Mobius anymore. My entire life was devoted to fighting Robotnik and saving Mobius. Now that it's saved, I don't have a purpose. Hell, even the people in my own city despise me for what I did and what trouble I brought there… People are getting hurt because of ME!" Sonic finished, deflated.

Fiona looked at the cobalt hedgehog with a wary expression. "You really think that this 'peace' can last?" she asked ominously. "There's a storm coming, Sonic," she added. "You and your friends better batten down the hatches, cause when it hits- you're all going to wonder how you could act so noble, and not expect to inherit any consequences…"

"You sound like you're looking forward to it…" Sonic said suspiciously.

"I'm adaptable…" Fiona replied, and straightened her hair.

"If you say so," Sonic remarked and looked around at his surroundings. "Damn. For a casino lounge this place sure is dead," he scoffed.

"Oh trust me… it'll liven up in a minute…" Fiona replied, earning a puzzled look from Sonic.

0ooOoo0

Meanwhile, a tall figure in a brown delivery jacket and red motorcycle helmet walked through the front doors of the casino and approached some metal detectors at the entrance to one of the gaming floors. He stepped through one of them, triggering it. The security guard, a burly wolf stationed there stopped the patron and turned off the alarm. "I'm sorry sir, we don't allow helmets. It's for identification purposes…" he began as the stranger removed his helmet. The guard's placid expression quickly turned to one of surprise as the person's scaly, masked face was revealed. It was Bane. The security guard was bashed in the head with the red helmet as the komodo dragon advanced into the gaming floor. The patrons who witnessed the attack screamed and fled in horror.

The entire event was caught on camera as it was being monitored by Tails and the others in their room. "Guys! Quick!" Tails yelled. Everyone rushed to see what Tails found and gasped in surprise.

"He must be one of the robbers!" exclaimed Charmy.

"Everyone! We have company!" Sally announced over the communicator.

Mighty and Vector heard the commotion since they were on the same gaming floor that Bane was, and rushed to see what was going on. They ran into the main plaza where the screams were coming from, and saw Bane subduing every single security guard that came after him with ease. "Oh, let's GO!" Vector challenged, but was stopped by the sound of gunfire. Mighty and Vector slinked behind a stone pillar and looked for the source of the shooting. In came Sergeant Simian and Predator Hawk, armed with assault rifles. They shot into the air a couple times so that the fleeing gamblers and patrons would remain in the area.

"Everybody stay down!" Simian shouted. All of the remaining patrons obeyed and sat down on the floor, huddled with their arms over their heads.

"Since when did _they_ learn how to use guns?!" Mighty hissed.

"Dunno, but if we go out there we'll be like sitting ducks!" Vector exclaimed. "Where the hell is Espio?! We could really use him now!"

With the two Destructix members flanking him and the security guards subdued, Bane stalked around the open plaza as if he was looking for something. The komodo dragon's eyes fell upon a middle-aged raccoon in an expensive-looking suit. It seemed as if he was one of the managers of Mogul's casino since he was sitting in a chair next to a digital terminal that only high-ranking members of the staff could operate. "Y-y-you should l-leave!" the raccoon stammered as he held his arms up. Bane walked towards him quickly. "T-this is a hub t-terminal! There's no m-money to steal here!" he added, becoming more and more terrified by the second.

"Then why are you people here?" Bane scoffed, and pulled the raccoon towards him with the chair and then slammed his head with considerable force onto the terminal's desk area- knocking him out cold. He then took one of the manager's limp hands and placed it on a handprint scanner. After a few beeps, the terminal was unlocked- which was Flying Frog's que to enter the scene. He came bounding over rows of slot machines with a leather bag in tow. He hopped over to Bane, who opened it and took out a digital tablet. He connected it to the terminal, and it instantly began downloading hundreds of currency and account codes.

Sonic and Fiona both heard the commotion coming from the distant gaming floor. "_My, my!_ What could that be?" Fiona teased. Sonic looked back at her with a confused look. "If you haven't figured it out yet- I was the distraction!" the vixen huffed. With that, Sonic leapt from the table and exited the lounge. Outside Knuckles was standing there, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What the hell's going on?!" the red echidna exclaimed.

"A robbery- that's what!" the hedgehog anxiously replied, and they both hurried off towards the gunfire.

As the tablet's program did its work, Bane paced back and forth across the floor with his claws clasped together. "How much longer does the program need?" he asked Flying. The frog looked at him and then back at the monitor.

"Eight minutes," he answered.

Bane thought for a moment, then turned to him. "Fine- we go mobile…" he said. Flying activated a small wireless receiver on the tablet, and returned it to the leather pouch.

"Even that won't be fast enough!" they heard someone yell. Before they could even turn around, Simian and Predators' assault rifles were knocked out of their hands by throwing stars. They turned angrily and were immediately attacked by Espio and Vector. The gorilla and hawk were thrown to the floor, but recovered quickly to combat the chameleon and crocodile. All of the terrified patrons and tourists were screaming as they got up and ran out of the area. Bane motioned for Flying to quickly leave, and the frog did so. Espio and Vector were soon blindsided by a quick blur- it was Lightning Lynx. He had a Kunai and they knew he was skillful with it…

Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles burst onto the scene and quickly surveyed the situation. Amidst the combat, their eyes came to rest on Bane- who had finally revealed himself to the heroes. "Whoa…" Sonic gasped. "That's _definitely_ not morphine!" he remarked.

Knuckles saw Julie-Su come in right after Espio, and he called to her. "Hey, you take care of Lightning! Sonic and I will take care of Bane!" he shouted. The pink echidna nodded and pulled out her laser pistol. She took aim and fired at the lightning quick lynx as he attempted to swipe Espio with his blade. The laser bolt struck him dead center in the chest, and he was thrust backwards into a wooden column. He regained his composure, but now he had a huge burn mark on his chest- and he didn't look happy about it.

"Alright, let's give this son of a- OOF!" Sonic began, but was rammed with incredible force by a green blur. The blue hedgehog was thrown off balance, but regained his footing and got in a fighting stance. "Scourge!" he shouted. The green blur screeched to a halt with flames trailing behind him. "Yep, the one and only! Miss me?" the green hedgehog spat.

Knuckles knew that Sonic would be busy with Scourge, so he went over to Vector, and Mighty- who had just arrived. Simian and Predator were both out cold from their fight with Vector and Espio, so all that was left was Lightning Lynx, Scourge, and Bane since Flying was nowhere to be found. Sonic was off fighting Scourge, so Knuckles, Julie-Su, Vector, Espio and Mighty were to ones who had to take care of the rest. The Chaotix regrouped and sized up their opponents. On the now quiet gaming floor, the komodo dragon and lynx stared down the detectives with cold, unforgiving glares. Sally and the others were watching the whole confrontation through their monitors- but since Sonic had the only communicator she couldn't give them any guidance. "Be careful guys…" she said aloud with dread.

In the casino, the standoff was about to end. Espio and Lightning Lynx locked eyes and scowled at each other. The two rivals knew who their fight would be with. They both leapt into action, each brandishing a kunai and slicing furiously with it. "I'll help out Espio!" Julie-Su told the others, and went to help the chameleon battle Lightning.

Bane still stood there, casting an aura of menace over the three remaining Mobians. He yanked his delivery jacket off and the others could see that he was wearing nothing above the waist except a light bulletproof vest and rough, leather gauntlets that were cut off at the fingers. His cut, muscular body caught the Mobians off guard and they could see that a line of razor sharp spines flowed from the top of his otherwise bald head all the way down to the tip of his tail. His predatory yellow and black eyes tracked them as he stalked towards them. "Hey buddy, next time you should think twice about breaking into casinos whose owners know bona-fide ass-kickers!" Mighty remarked and jumped at Bane, attempting to land a hard punch to his chest. The reptile held out his claw and blocked the attack.

"I only needed to entertain the notion _once_…" he growled, and used the armadillo's fist to drag him into a devastating kick- which sent him flipping across the floor. Mighty got up and whipped his head towards Bane. He then rushed the komodo dragon, only using kicks this time. Mighty jumped and brought numerous roundhouse kicks to Bane's head- all of which didn't seem to faze the brute as he kept his focus on the armadillo. Bane thrust his arm from where it was at his side at Mighty, knocking him across the face and onto the floor once more- although more forcefully this time.

Mighty leapt from the ground with a bloody nose- enraged, and shouted as he charged at the reptile again. He flew at him with multiple punches, all of which Bane dodged with ease. Knuckles and Vector knew better than to get in Mighty's way when he was really angry, so they hung back and waited for a time to strike. The reptile waited for a break in the armadillo's onslaught and then made his move. Bane then laid on multiple full blows with astonishing speed and power. Mighty was helpless as he was pummeled by the komodo dragon, but attempted to get up one more time. Bane finished the armadillo off with a powerful roundhouse kick to the chest and sent him flying to Vector and Knuckles' feet- his face covered in blood and bruises.

Seeing their friend lying there bloodied and beaten enraged Knuckles and Vector, and they charged at Bane- attempting to double-team him. Bane was prepared, though, and blocked their onslaught with his arms. He thrusted his arms outwards, pushing the two away. He then leapt forward and grabbed Vector by the neck- hurling him into a row of slot machines. Knuckles attempted to punch Bane with his spiked hands. The komodo dragon grabbed the echidna's hands and proceeded to squeeze hard while at the same time bending them backwards. Knuckles howled in pain, and Bane kicked him forcefully in the stomach, causing him to land in defeat next to Mighty.

Elsewhere, Julie-Su and Espio continued to fight with Lightning Lynx- who was beginning to lose his upper hand. Espio chucked a throwing star at the lynx and sliced him on his left arm. The lynx yelped in pain, and then looked at his attackers. "We'll meet again, Espio- but for now you have a bigger problem on your hands…" he said spitefully, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Espio and Julie-Su looked over towards the others, who were lying in a bloodied and broken pile at the feet of Bane. Things suddenly became serious for them. "Julie-Su? You should go follow Flying Frog," Espio suggested.

"What?! And leave you here alone?!" the pink echidna yelled in disbelief.

"Flying Frog took that device with him- it has accounting codes on it," Espio explained. "That's why they came here. Our job was to stop the robbers from taking any more money- and if you catch that frog then maybe we can still save this case…"

Julie-Su looked at him for a second, and then agreed. "Okay. Just be safe!" she warned her friend, and set off to chase down Flying.

Espio walked into Bane's view- trying to get his attention. The reptiles locked eyes with each other- and an unforeseen connection was made. "Bane is it?" the chameleon asked bravely.

"Yes," replied the komodo dragon, and began walking towards Espio.

"So you're the one that disgraced the Shinobi…" Espio replied.

"It was not my fault that they could not handle the true ways to deal with things," Bane replied- his eyes expressing what his face could not from behind the mask.

Espio started to feel dishonored by the komodo dragon's words. "No. No it _is_, Bane!" he shouted and launched several throwing stars from his gloves- which hit some propane tanks just behind Bane. The sparks caused a sizeable explosion and the floor began caving in. Both Bane and Espio fell down the hole and into the basement area of the casino. Bane launched from the rubble that landed on top of him and began stalking around the dim room. All while having a calm and confident demeanor, despite what had just happened. He looked around the dim room for a brief moment before he was blindsided by Espio. The chameleon attempted to punch and kick Bane's legs so that he would fall, but it didn't seem to work. Bane grabbed Espio and threw him down a metal staircase that led to a deeper part of the basement, but the chameleon adjusted his position so that he landed upright. He launched several projectiles with smoke and flash bangs in them in an attempt to confuse and disorient his opponent. Bane however only stood there, unfazed by the small explosions and flashes.

"Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to those who are uninitiated…" Bane said and began walking toward Espio. "But we are initiated… aren't we, Espio? Members of the Shinobi Clan!" he growled as he punched the wounded Espio in the face. He grabbed Espio once more and hurled him by his tail against a far wall, which cracked a little on impact. Espio knew he had to pull out everything he had if he wanted a chance to thwart Bane, so he pulled out some throwing stars and proceeded to shatter every single light in the area. The whole basement went completely dark and the komodo dragon's eyes glowed in the blackness.

"Ah, you think darkness is your ally!" Bane exclaimed. "You Shinobi merely adopted it… I was born in it. Molded by it…" he said as he walked around in the dark. "I didn't see the light of day until I was a young man, and even then I only found it to be BLINDING!" he snarled and reached into the darkness- wrenching Espio from his hiding place and thwarting his surprise attack.

Espio dug his kunai into his attacker's shoulder, but it didn't help. Bane went on to throw Espio onto the ground and viciously stomp him unconscious. "The shadows betray you! _They belong to me…_" he growled to Espio. The ninja's battered form wavered in the darkness as the komodo dragon picked Espio's kunai from his shoulder and threw it on the ground as he casually walked away.

0ooOoo0

Sonic and Scourge were engaged in a furious battle, with Scourge having the slight upper hand because of his superior speed. They spin dashed each other at the same time, making for a stalemate. "What's the matter, blue? Lost your touch?" Scourge jeered. Sonic scowled as he landed on his feet while Scourge began to laugh.

"I don't know. Why don't you see for yourself?!" he shouted and threw an exceptional punch at Scourge's head- hitting him squarely in the face. The green hedgehog reeled and frowned.

"Cheap shot!" he hissed and prepared for another attack. He never followed through though, because his communicator began buzzing. Scourge answered it, and dodged another one of Sonic's attacks.

"Scourge," the voice said. It was Bane. "Return to Renfield's casino at once. There is something I wish to discuss with you and the others," Bane said and hung up.

"If you insist… Well, gotta go, blue!" Scourge laughed. "We'll finish this another time," he added and ran down the street in the opposite direction.

Sonic watched him dart away as he felt his communicator buzzing, too. Then he remembered- he turned it off before he went to talk with Fiona! Dang, Sally was going to let him have it for that one. He turned it back on and listened. "Sonic!" Sally said. "Come back to the room! Bane and the Destructix got away," she explained.

"_Dammit!_" Sonic swore and spoke back to her. "What happened to the Chaotix?!"

"Bane happened to them…" Sally muttered angrily. Sonic felt that same uncontrollable anger rising inside of him again. The same anger that appeared when he heard that Elias was shot.

"Well it seems Scourge got away, too!" Sonic added. "What about Flying Frog? He left awhile ago."

"Julie-Su can't find him. He got away before she could pick up a trail," the princess explained. "Sorry Sonic, but it looks like this mission was a failure…" she added in disdain.

"Alright, I'm coming back…" Sonic muttered. He started back to their hotel room, with only one thing on his mind… _revenge_…

**End of Chapter 7…**

_**A/N: Jesus tap-dancing Christ on a cracker… You know when I said how long chapter 3 was? This one nearly out does it by 2,000 words! This took me about two days to write, too. Geez. I was going to split this into two chapters but I think it would have impeded the story a little… Just my personal concerns. Anyways, the next chapter won't be this long only because I know where there's a good place to split it. **_

_**Remember to please leave a… you know what? Screw it. You probably don't have enough energy after reading this monster to post a review on it. Whenever you feel like it, though! They're always appreciated…**_

_**Thanks to the anonymous reviewer… Bob! **_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics…_


	8. Decisions

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 8: Decisions **_

Sonic paced nervously outside the Council Chamber inside Castle Acorn. Everything in the past few days had gone horribly wrong- from failing their mission of helping Mammoth Mogul to the Chaotix getting brutally beaten. The Chaotix were ultimately okay and only sustained minor injuries from their fight with Bane and the Destructix, but Sonic still felt that they had been mixed up in this mess. Their pride was wounded, but they still stood by the hedgehog and the others in whatever way they could. The group vowed that their next fight with Bane would be more carefully thought out- since they had no idea what they were going up against last time.

The blue hedgehog was awaiting a decision from the council in relation to the search for Bane and his "underground army". Sonic hoped that they would green-light a manhunt for the brute so that he would finally be brought to justice for all of the things he did. Sally popped her head out of the door and motioned for Sonic to come in. The hedgehog and squirrel entered the round room and they stood before the council. From left to right it was; Dylan the porcupine, Hamlin the pig, Sonic's own Uncle Chuck, King Elias (who was absent due to being at the hospital in Station Square), Rosemary Prower (Tails' mother), and Penelope the platypus. Rotor was once a member of the council- but their abhorrent treatment towards Nicole caused him to leave.

"Sonic," addressed Hamlin. "We have come to a decision…"

Sonic's chest began pounding with each passing second as he awaited their decision. "Yes? And?" he asked.

"We have vetoed the hunt for Bane!" Rosemary exclaimed.

Sonic's stomach dropped. "How?" he asked in disbelief. "He almost _kills our king_, _robs _a casino, _beats_ the living _shit_ out of the Chaotix… and you _still_ don't want this guy arrested?!" Sonic raged.

"Sonic! If you please!" Dylan protested rather cowardly.

"I can't believe all of you! No wonder Rotor left!" the hedgehog continued. Sally turned her head away from him and averted her gaze.

"Silence, Sonic!" Uncle Chuck ordered.

Sonic looked to his Uncle Chuck in surprise. "Even you, Uncle Chuck?" he asked softly.

The old hedgehog started to tear up. "Yes. What you said is all true. That's why we can't have any more casualties because of this monster…" he explained sorrowfully.

"If you all don't want any more casualties, then why are you allowing him to roam free?!" Sonic yelled.

"Sonic- this Mobian has already gotten what he wanted! He stole those codes from Mogul's casino- that's what he went there for! It is unfortunate, yes, but there's nothing we can do about it now," Hamlin responded.

"Are you people blind?! This guy is not some mundane criminal! Elias told us everything! He's planning something _big_! True, we still don't know what it has to do with us, but that doesn't mean we should just _dismiss it_!" Sonic protested.

"We should dismiss it!" Rosemary shouted. "This Bane person isn't our highest priority! Protecting this city is!"

"She's right, Sonic," Hamlin added. "We all know that you just want this to pass so you can get revenge on this fellow for what he did to Elias and the Chaotix. A valiant move, however, very stupid. If we go after this person, and what you have said is indeed true, then we will end up with even more casualties…" he explained.

Sally looked at Sonic, who was on the verge of breaking down. "Sonic, I…" she began.

Sonic looked at them all for a brief moment, and then stormed out of the council chamber. Sally looked on in disdain as he left. She could tell that no matter what she or the council decided, he was going to find a way to exact revenge on Bane even if it killed him.

0ooOoo0

That night, Sonic sauntered through the forest that lined the outside of New Mobotropolis- deep in thought. He was thinking over everything Elias had said, and what he saw two nights ago at the casino. Bane had defeated most of the Chaotix and those guards single-handedly, and without any weapons or superpowers. He was just a Mobian. He wasn't too sure that he'd ever encountered anyone like that before. Should he be relaxed about it? She he be worried? There was no doubt that what Elias saw was true- since they encountered Bane at Mogul's Casino.

He was confident that his speed would give him the upper hand in a confrontation- even if it was hampered a little. After all, he had defeated Eggman's robot armies several times, not to mention the few demi-gods he faced down and defeated. An oversized komodo dragon would not be that big of a problem to him.

"What're ya thinking about?" asked a voice from a few yards away. Sonic turned and saw Fiona of all people leaning against a tree. "I heard what they decided…" she added.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Sonic growled.

"The gate was open…" she replied nonchalantly and shrugged. "Eggman's gone, remember? No more threats…" she said, and Sonic nodded slowly. "You know that's not true, though. Don't you Sonic?" she inquired suggestively.

"What do you mean?" asked Sonic.

"You seem to be the only other person besides Elias that is worried about what Bane's planning…" she answered.

"Who's the other person?" asked the hedgehog.

"Me," the fox responded.

"You?!" Sonic exclaimed. "I thought you and Scourge were allies with him!"

"I _was_. Scourge still is though," she replied. Sonic was shocked by this. "Scourge and I broke up last night because he decided that he wanted to keep working for Bane, and I decided that I didn't want to anymore. He got angry and threatened to tell the brute. So, I left him and came here," Fiona explained.

"So, finally wizened up and came back to the good side?" Sonic taunted.

"In a way, yes," replied Fiona, having to swallow a bit of her pride. "I'm done with that disappointing lifestyle, and I'm more than done with Scourge. He was driving me crazy anyway… always sneaking off behind my back and treating me like crap…" she murmured. "I shouldn't have cheated on you, Sonic… You're a great guy and Sally or Amy or whoever the hell you're going out with now is very lucky to have you," she sighed. "I just hope that one day you guys can forgive me…"

"Fi, if you really mean what you said- then we might be able to welcome you back to New Mobotropolis," the hedgehog replied soothingly.

"Ugh. No thanks… Not after what I've done to all of you. Especially what I've done to you and Tails…" she trailed off sadly. Sonic's mind jumped backwards to the day Fiona betrayed them and slapped Tails. He didn't know if he could truly forgive her- for that was one of the worst things he had ever witnessed. Even if she was being manipulated by Scourge, it was still a very heinous act. He could, however- give her the benefit of the doubt and leave her be.

"Alright, then I forgive you for _some_ of the things you did…" he said hesitantly.

Fiona looked up at him and gave him a light hug. "Oh, Sonic! Thank you!" she cried. "That was all I needed to hear… Now I can live my life somewhere else- peacefully."

Sonic looked at the stars above while they hugged. He never thought he'd live to see the day when Fiona would break down and cry for forgiveness. Even after all of the horrible things she did. It gave him hope that there was still some good left in her- and that maybe someday they could all meet together and celebrate under better terms.

"Is there any way at all I can repay you?" she asked wholeheartedly, and broke the hug.

Sonic's mind began turning rapidly. This was his chance! "Actually yes," he replied. "Show me where to find Bane…"

0ooOoo0

Renfield T. Rodent was strutting around his office, watching the television as he did so. "And tonight on Casinopolis local news- more on the latest robbery conducted by the notorious Destructix gang and the unknown, masked reptile! Stay tuned!" the news reporter chimed. The rodent was beginning to bite his fingernails as he waited for his assistant to arrive. Sergeant Simian was already there, acting as a sort of bodyguard.

"Ah, GOD! Where the hell is Bane?!" he fumed. He was given an answer as the doors to his office swung open- revealing the komodo dragon himself, Bane.

"How may I be off assistance, rodent?" he mused.

"Shut up!" Renfield snapped. "What… _the hell_… is going on?! The codes that you stole have already been used! AND, my entire bank account- my entire LIVE SAVINGS have been wiped out! Your hit on Mogul's place _didn't work_, my friend- and now you have my construction crews going _all over_ Station Square!" he screamed, and held up construction permits in the komodo dragon's face. "How is this supposed to help my casino absorb Mogul's?!" he asked, somewhat out of breath. The only response he got from Bane was a menacing stare. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he added viciously.

"That everything is going according to plan…" Bane replied calmly.

"Wha- no! No! Everything is not going according to plan! Do I look like I'm running Casinopolis?!" Renfield yelled.

Bane motioned to Simian with his hand. "Leave us," he ordered, and Simian began to leave. Renfield looked back at the gorilla and gasped in surprise.

"Don't go anywhere! Don't listen to him- I'm in control, here!" the rodent told him. He felt Bane's claw reach around his neck, where it came to rest in the middle.

"Do you feel in control?" Bane growled ominously.

"Wha-what are you doing?" the rat gasped in fear- sensing what was going on. "I-I paid you a small fortune!"

"And you think this gives you…power…over me?" Bane asked in mock disbelief.

"What is this?" Renfield asked, still shaking.

"Your money, and your assets- were valuable to us," Bane explained. "Until now…" he added mysteriously while increasing his grip on the rat's neck. "The Destructix work for me now… but don't worry! This also means that they are working towards a divine vision of justice- which was wrongfully thwarted oh so many times!" he hissed.

"What are you?" asked the now terrified Renfield.

"I'm Mobius' reckoning!" Bane said. "Here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on…"

"Y-you're _pure evil_!" the rat exclaimed.

"I'm _necessary evil_!" Bane growled venomously, and began violently twisting Renfield's neck.

Scourge and the rest of the Destructix were waiting outside, and could hear Renfield's muffled screams and struggle through the wooden doors. He screamed for a second more, and then a sickening *SNAP* was heard, and it echoed gruesomely through the hall outside.

**End of Chapter 8…**

_**A/N: Just one word… Sorry. About that last part to those who are sensitive to that kind of stuff. Tee hee. **_

_**Anyway, if you liked the installment, then please, feel free to review! Reviews are like crack to writers and they are always appreciated! : P**_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics. _


	9. Fall

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 9: Fall**_

"Sally!" Tails called as he ran through the streets of New Mobotropolis. He was very distraught and was obviously in a hurry to find the princess. Soon enough, he had looked all over- until he found her walking near the Chao Garden with Cream and Cheese. "Sally! Something terrible has happened!" he shouted. The squirrel, rabbit and Chao looked up at the frantic fox.

"What's the matter Tails?" asked Sally with concern.

Tails was about to explain, but he was slightly out of breath from running all over the city. "Its'- it's- Sonic!" he panted.

"What happened to Mr. Sonic?" Cream winced.

"He's g-gone! He ran away this morning! I can't find him anywhere!" the kit explained.

Minutes later, Tails and Sally were inside the technological center of New Mobotropolis. They hoped to at least find some security camera footage so that they could see where the hedgehog ran off to. Tails ran up to a monitor and activated it. The screen flashed on and about 200 different camera views could be seen. "I'll cycle through the time frame where I last saw him at his house…" Tails explained.

He rewound the footage until he found Sonic walking along the forested paths the night before. "Right there!" Sally shouted and pointed at Sonic on the screen. They all watched the footage until they saw Fiona fox come out of some bushes and stumble across Sonic.

"Fiona…" Tails murmured. "Why was she here?"

They saw the two talk and hug, but they couldn't hear anything since the cameras didn't have sound. "What the hell is she doing?" Sally asked aloud. During the footage, the two went their separate ways. Fiona disappeared off-camera, but they surmised that she just left the city. Tails cycled through some more footage from earlier that morning and saw Sonic with a warp ring. He used it and vanished to an unknown location.

"I'll bet it has something to do with that bitch, Fiona," Sally muttered under her breath. She hastily left the room, and Tails followed.

"What do we do?" he asked worriedly.

The princess looked at the young fox. "We're going to find that vixen," she replied.

0ooOoo0

Sonic looked upon the abandoned metro station that Fiona told him to meet her at. It was located in a rundown industrial district of Station Square, the part of town that law abiding people usually strayed away from. It suffered from obvious disuse in the past few years and was showing signs of it, too. It was cracked and covered in moss- and weeds and grasses grew on every inch of concrete that surrounded the structure. Sonic sighed, hesitating a bit as he neared the station. He ignored his better judgment and decided that he had to attempt to get revenge on Bane. He advanced until he was inside the dilapidated building. He looked around until he saw Fiona sitting on a concrete block at the entrance to one of the two tunnels that led underground.

"Don't be shy…" she coaxed to him. Sonic stepped closer to her and looked down the dimly lit tunnel.

"So this is where Bane is?" Sonic asked as he looked around the abandoned station.

"Not really- he's further down in the tunnel system," the fox replied.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sonic prodded.

Fiona sighed heavily and stood up. "Fine… You asked for it…" she said, and led him further down the bleak tunnel. "Bane's men patrol the tunnels from here on out. And be careful- they're not your average fighters!" she warned.

"Neither am I…" Sonic replied confidently.

They traversed the dark and creepy subway tunnels until they were directly under Station Square. Here, the tunnels were in better shape and trains ran through them at regular intervals. Fortunately though, none of them came when Sonic and Fiona were walking around. They climbed down some flights of stairs and into a drainage system- where they found the first of Bane's mercenaries waiting. One was a human, and the other was a Mobian squirrel- both were also armed. They didn't seem to notice the hedgehog and fox until they were closer.

"What the hell are you people doing here?!" one of them shouted, and held up his assault rifle. Sonic was quicker than him, though, even with his injured leg. He dealt a powerful blow with his good leg and knocked the wind out of the armed man. His partner, a squirrel, tried to fire his weapon but the hedgehog dashed towards him with an uppercut to the jaw. They both fell unconscious and the duo continued on their way.

They finally made it to a large, round room made of concrete and steel beams. A rapidly flowing stream ran through its center at the bottom, and the entire room was better lit than the rest of the tunnels. Sonic, followed by Fiona walked around a concrete barrier and fully into the room. Fiona hung back as Sonic stepped ahead, not really paying attention to where he was going. The hedgehog stepped onto a yellow metal catwalk that extended from one end of the room to the other, and looked backwards for a second. A barred door abruptly slammed down behind him, with him on one side and Fiona on the other. Sonic wore an expression of confusion and shock as he beheld Fiona's sad and guilty expression.

"Sonic… please understand… I had to get them off my back somehow…" she sobbed.

"You're making a grave mistake!" Sonic pleaded to her.

"But not as grave as _yours_…" he heard a familiar voice growl. Sonic slowly turned around and looked at the other end of the catwalk. Who else should be standing there but the komodo dragon he was looking for, in his usual attire of utility cargo pants, no shirt, and bullet proof vest. Surrounding him in higher alcoves was his mercenary army and the Destructix.

"_Bane…_" Sonic growled.

"Now is neither the time nor the place for such ceremony… _hedgehog_," Bane said through his mask as he slowly stalked towards Sonic.

The hedgehog wasted no time engaging in banter, and went into an all out attack on Bane. He swung as many punches as he could, but the komodo dragon dodged them all. Bane returned the assault with a powerful punch at Sonic's face. It connected, but the damage was reduced because the hedgehog jumped backwards a few feet.

"_Man that was close! The others weren't kidding when they said he knew a few techniques!"_ Sonic thought.

Bane kept advancing, so Sonic rolled toward him in a ball- hoping to catch the brute off-balance. When he connected with Bane, it felt as if he had rolled into a solid wall. The reptile launched a powerful kick and Sonic reeled backwards towards the other side of the catwalk. He quickly recovered though, and swung at Bane with a series of fast but effective punches to his head. Bane barely seemed to be affected by them though, as he remained in his focused state of mind. He felt Sonic's punches and concentrated so that he could learn the pattern of the blows. The komodo dragon suddenly grabbed Sonic's balled fist as it came for another collision with his head, and began crushing it while at the same time bending it backwards.

"Your victories have cost you your strength!" Bane taunted, and used Sonic's hand to flip him over onto the catwalk- making it shake and rattle as Sonic shouted in pain.

"_Bullshit!_" Sonic countered furiously and leapt on to his feet, slightly wincing in pain as his bad leg began supporting him again. He began advancing on Bane, swinging everything he had at the reptile. Bane easily dodged the blows and countered with a few punches of his own. These knocked Sonic off-balance once again and the hedgehog whipped his head towards the slowly advancing Bane. An enraged Sonic charged at Bane at the fastest speed he could muster- but the komodo dragon caught him and slammed his head down on the catwalk's railing. As the two fought, the mercenaries and Destructix along with Scourge watched them quietly and intently. Bane then grabbed the dazed Sonic and knocked him over the edge, where he fell to the hard, cold, and slightly wet concrete floor with a *thud*. Sonic's arms shielded his face from further damage, but he was still shaken and slightly disoriented. Bane quickly followed him by climbing down a chain that was hanging near the catwalk.

"You're the Hero of Mobius?! You fight like a child!" Bane mused, who picked up the disoriented hedgehog by his neck and thrust him against a stone column. Sonic's bearings were returning to him as he saw Bane's fist coming in for the kill. He wriggled out of the komodo dragon's grip as his fist collided with the concrete. The impact left a sizeable pit in the column, but Bane seemed unfazed by it.

"Why are you even here? Why attack us?" Sonic asked in a confronting manner.

"We are here to fulfill the destiny of the great Enerjak!" Bane proclaimed.

Sonic frowned and wiped some blood off his nose. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Sonic… This world has been ruined…. Completely spoiled by technology. Can't you see it?" Bane inquired venomously. "Yes. It is true that technology can do great things… but with those great things comes consequence. Think about it. Robotnik… Eggman… nuclear bombs… all of these things are examples that you have dealt with personally, are they not?" Bane explained further.

"You're right, Bane. But what about New Mobotropolis and Nicole?" Sonic countered.

"Oh do not fret. Soon the world shall see how _good_ those things are…" Bane growled. "Just wait- soon your friends and family will all know the true cost of technology… and the burden that it brings with it. Mobius shall meet its undeniable end in the same fashion that it was created… with technology!"

Sonic ignored Bane's rambling and tried to kick him again. "Not while _I'm_ here!" he shouted.

Bane grabbed Sonic's foot and twisted his leg out of its brace- which bent and broke under the stress. Sonic howled in pain and fell to the ground, trying to think of some way to get back up. "Then we will just have to remove you from the equation, then!" Bane replied. "A fitting punishment for you, Sonic!"

"What have _I_ done that's so terrible?!" Sonic yelped.

"You poisoned the mind of the guardian- Knuckles!" Bane replied.

"What d-do y-you m-m-mean?!" Sonic growled angrily, and began to get up.

Bane walked back over to the wounded hedgehog and kicked him in the ribs, forcing him onto the ground once more where he was punched squarely in the head. "He became Enerjak! You stopped his crusade and brainwashed him back into his weak, compassionate state!" he explained.

"I had to! He was trying to kill hundreds of innocent people! He was never like that!" Sonic weakly protested.

"He was doing the universe a service and in return, you stopped him and _killed his father_!" Bane replied harshly. "I decimated him because he has lost touch with what needs to be done! He has been turned against justice because of you! _You betrayed him_!" Bane hissed, and picked Sonic up and then threw him against some concrete steps leading to another catwalk. "I'll show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice…" the komodo dragon growled. "Then I will break you…"

Bane pulled out an explosives clacker and squeezed it- setting off bombs attached to one side of the room and the ceiling. They detonated in sequence as chunks of concrete and steel rained down upon their side of the room, to which Bane didn't even flinch. Some of it landed on Sonic, wounding him even more. Sonic barely mustered the strength to look up, but he managed it. He saw that the room they were in was built under a base belonging to GUN. The mercenaries began climbing into the bright room above filled with vehicles, mechs and weaponry, which Sonic figured was an armory. "GUN's precious arsenal- gratefully accepted!" Bane exclaimed. "We will need it…"

Sonic pulled his last remaining reservoirs of energy together and climbed out of the rubble. He slowly advanced towards the komodo dragon- heavily injured, but determined. "Aah!" Bane addressed the hedgehog as he advanced towards him. "I was wondering what would break first!" Bane said and kicked Sonic back onto the ground. "Your spirit…" he said and lifted the bruised and battered Sonic high over his head. "…or your **BODY**!" Bane snarled as he violently thrust his knee upwards and slammed Sonic's back down across it. Sonic screamed in agony and there was a sickening *CRACK* as Sonic's spine was split into two and he fell to the ground in a heap.

Sonic lay on the floor- brutally beaten, bloody, and dishonored. He could see Bane walking towards him as his vision suddenly began to fade. He lost. He had to admit that he was truly beaten. He knew in the back of his mind that he had let all of his friends and his family down by losing. His vision was leaving him, and as he faded into blackness, he hoped with all his heart that his loved ones would be safe from harm…

**End of Chapter 9…**

_**A/N: Well I have school starting soon, but I will try to get these chapters out as efficiently as I can. Just a little warning that's all. **_

_**Anyway if you enjoyed the chapter, then by all means, leave a review! : )**_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics._


	10. Torture

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 10: Torture**_

Fiona strode among the halls of the Station Square Airport, constantly shifting her gaze. She kept her eyes peeled for any authorities or agents that were looking for her. After all, she was still a wanted felon for her escape from No Zone Jail and her involvement with Scourge and the Destructix. The vixen was on a mission to leave the city for good, and to hopefully disappear for good. She had a feeling that the Freedom Fighters were on her trail after her deception with Sonic.

Now that Bane and his thugs had let her go from her oath to ensnare Sonic, she wanted to flee as far from him and her old life as quickly as possible. Maybe she would find a new group of friends. A nice house and maybe a loving husband. Who knew? That uncertainty was the only incentive she needed to leave.

The airport was extraordinarily crowded, so she blended in seamlessly. There was almost no need for the wide-brimmed hat and dress she was wearing. She walked to the ticket counter and bought a one-way trip to Mercia. After she collected her ticket and light luggage, she walked toward her departure gate. However, she was soon stopped by a police officer who seemed to notice her.

"Excuse me, miss!" he called to her. "Can I speak to you for a second?"

Fiona huffed but complied with him anyway. She followed him into an adjacent room, and he closed the door behind them. She sensed what he wanted to speak with her about- and she suddenly put her guard up.

"Are you Fiona Fox?" the officer asked politely. The vixen nodded and smiled back at him. "Alright, then I'll need to see your identification, please!" he replied.

Fiona looked around quickly and turned to him. "Oh, could you hold my hat, please?" she asked and handed him the headwear.

"Sure thing, miss!" the officer cheerfully replied, and took the hat from her. She pretended to dig around in her purse, and when his view was obstructed by the hat- she punched him square in the chest. The attack knocked the man out cold, so Fiona quickly grabbed her things and left for her flight.

As she was walking into her flight gate, however, she could sense that someone or something was following her. The fox ignored the feeling and kept walking. She soon felt a light tap on her shoulder, and turned to see who it was. She expected to see another cop, but instead it was Knuckles. "Fiona? We'd like to ask you a few questions," the echidna explained.

Fiona was surprised at first. "I'm sorry- _we_?" she asked. Espio appeared in front of her, blocking her exit- and she saw Vector exiting the plane in the hall ahead of her. She knew that she couldn't fight her way out of this one…

0ooOoo0

"So Fiona? Long time no see…" Knuckles remarked. They were all inside a private boardroom at the airport, and the Chaotix were using it as an interrogation room for Fiona.

"Look, whatever the charges are- I will refuse to accept them!" Fiona lashed out at the echidna.

"Whatever you think- you're going to Prison Island anyway! The cops are already on their way here," replied Julie-Su. "Give it up. You're caught."

"I'll never give up! I never said I did!" the fox replied angrily.

"Fiona- you're a wanted felon!" replied Mighty, who was also there. "That isn't why we wanted to talk to you, though…" he added.

"Then why _do_ you want to talk to me?" Fiona replied haughtily.

"I think you know why…" Espio retorted. "What did you tell Sonic that night at New Mobotropolis?" the chameleon questioned.

"I won't say…" Fiona shrugged and averted her gaze. Julie-Su rubbed her temple as a newcomer walked in from outside. It was Rouge the Bat- GUN agent and master thief.

"So, is the little criminal talking?" the bat asked.

"She is right now," replied Julie-Su with a scowl. Rouge was about to say something to her, but Knuckles quickly stepped in between them.

"Girls… come on- not now!" he urged. "Figuring out what happened to Sonic is our priority right now!" The two women agreed and sat back down.

"Fiona, our biggest armory was broken in to yesterday. Everything was taken from it and not a trace of any perpetrator was found," Rouge told her. "Do you have any idea why?"

Fiona avoided eye contact with all of them, but nodded in affirmation.

"Another thing…" Vector said. "We know that you're not on the run because of your escape from Zone Jail… You've never cared about it before. You also don't seem to have your boyfriend or any of your other friends with you," he observed. "So, who are you running from?" Fiona slowly looked up at the crocodile with sullen eyes. "_Bane?_" he asked softly.

Fiona sadly nodded. "What can you tell us about him?" Rouge asked with interest.

"That you should be… as afraid of him… as I am…" the vixen replied between deep breaths. The entire room fell deathly silent.

"What happened to Sonic, then?" asked Julie-Su. "Did Bane have something to do with his disappearance?"

Fiona didn't answer. She just looked out one of the large glass windows into space- deep in thought. "Well?" asked Knuckles suddenly. "_Did they kill him?_"

Fiona grudgingly looked back up at them with tears in her eyes. "I'm not sure…"

0ooOoo0

The sunlight and heat was burning Sonic's body as he was forcefully carried through an arid landscape. The hedgehog's feet dragged in the hot sand as he was carried by brutish mercenaries toward an unknown destination. Minutes seemed like days, and hours seemed like months. He had woken up from his blackout due to his fight with Bane, and he was fading in and out of an infinite blackness. The horrifying state of being on the brink of death. His entire body ached and throbbed as his wounded form was unjustly handled. He didn't know how much time had passed or where he was since he was brutally beaten into submission by Bane and taken away by his army of mercenaries. As the day wore on, he could hear the faint sound of chanting- ebbing in and out just like his senses.

"Deshii! Deshii! Basara! Basara!" he heard.

The sound got louder as the group seemingly neared its source. Sonic felt a sensation of being lowered into a grimy darkness, surrounded by the sounds of the haunting chant. He opened his eyes for a moment, and in that brief speck of time he saw a pool of light on top of him grow smaller and smaller as he was swallowed up by an ethereal gloom. His eyes closed shut once more as he passed out, but his mind kept turning. Sonic's entire life flashed before his eyes as he remembered the ones he cared most about…

Sonic awoke with a gasp sometime later. His vision, although it was blurry- began to return to him. As he breathed heavily, he could see Bane's masked face staring at him with his yellow and black eyes. The komodo dragon was sitting next to the hedgehog as if they were merely talking about the weather. Sonic was laying down on a rough stone cot- which wasn't comfortable at all, with one of Bane's feet applying pressure to his torso. Sonic finally gathered the strength to utter a sentence or two, so he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"_Why didn't you just… kill me?_" the blue hedgehog asked exhaustedly. Bane looked at him for a moment or two before answering.

"At this point in your life you do not fear death… You welcome it," Bane replied. "Your punishment must be more severe!"

"_Torture?_" Sonic asked.

"Yes. But not of your _body_… of your _soul_…" Bane replied as he glared at the wounded hedgehog.

Sonic was confused yet frightened by this statement. He looked around him in an effort to see where he was. He could see that he was in some sort of cell- an ancient looking one at that, which was very dark and depressing. "Where am I?" he asked, beginning to slowly wake up from his battered state. He looked beyond the rusted bars and saw a large stone room full of cells and other prisoners. Above it all was an enormous well-like entrance with platforms and holds leading up to the exposed daylight in a circle.

Bane looked around him. "Home," he replied casually. "Where I learned the truth about despair, as will you," he went on. The reptile looked toward Sonic's direction and past the bars. "There's a reason why this prison is the worst hell on earth…" he explained. Sonic looked to him, expecting a conventional answer- though he didn't get one. "…_Hope_," the komodo dragon said. "Every creature who has ventured here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy… so simple… and like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope. So as I terrorize Mobius, I will feed its people hope… to poison their souls. I will let them believe they can survive so that you may watch them clamoring over each other to stay in the sun…" he explained, and gestured towards a television mounted on the cell wall. "You can watch me torture an entire planet, and when you have truly understood the depth of your failure, we will fulfill Enerjak's destiny… we will destroy Mobius and then, when it is done and Mobius is… ashes…then…" Bane explained to Sonic. "…You have my permission to die…"

Bane got up and took his foot of Sonic's torso, releasing the pressure being kept there. Sonic howled in agony as the pain suppressed by the pressure jolted back into him. The komodo dragon walked out of the cell, leaving the hedgehog to writhe in his pain and sorrow.

**End of Chapter 10…**

_**A/N: Alright, like I have said before; these chapters may not come out as frequently anymore since I have classes to go to. I will still try and update as soon as possible though…**_

_**If you liked this installment and how this story is going so far, then by all means, leave a review! They are always appreciated!**_

_As always, characters belong to SEGA, Archie Comics, and DC Comics…_


	11. Ignition

_**The Fire Rises:**_

_**Chapter 11: Ignition**_

Fiona was being led through the belly of Prison Island, waiting to be put into one of the thousands of cells. She was back in her "favorite" orange inmate outfit and some very uncomfortable handcuffs. Other inmates whistled and called to her in an attempt to intimidate her.

"So who is she?" asked one of Fiona's guards.

"She's a tricky one, Andy!" the other guard said. "She evaded arrest for multiple crimes for about a year… and on top of that she escaped No Zone!"

"Naw! Really, Jones?" Andy replied. "You think she'll be okay here?"

A rather "enthusiastic" inmate tried to reach out and grab the fox, but he missed by a few inches. "Oh, I'm Sorry! Did you want to hold my hand?" Fiona cooed sarcastically. She grabbed the inmate's hands and performed a cartwheel- twisting the man's hands with it. The inmate shrunk back into his cell, and Fiona continued on her way.

"Yeah, I think she'll be just fine!" Jones replied.

0ooOoo0

Everything was especially busy at GUN's headquarters in Station Square. The soldiers and operatives were preparing for an all out attack on the reptile known as Bane- who apparently stole all of their heavy equipment and most of their small arms. Soldiers were dashing to and fro, going over schematics of the city and prepping their weapons. Rouge walked into the busy control room and made her way through the maze of soldiers to Commander Abraham Tower. He was the leader of GUN's forces, but he still had to answer to the President of the United Federation.

"Tower, Sir?" Rouge asked.

The grey-haired human looked over to her and awaited an explanation. "Yes, what is it Rouge? Make it quick, though. As you can see we are on a tight schedule!" he replied.

"Sir, the body of Renfield Rodent was uncovered in a dumpster this morning…" she began. "In his clothes the Police found construction permits relating to the new sites we've been seeing all over Station Square," she explained.

Tower looked at her for a moment. "Nothing unusual there, Rouge. He _does_ have a construction business," he replied, slightly confused.

"No, there _is_ something weird here! According to the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix, Renfield was working with Bane at the time he was murdered!" the bat said. "Renfield's crews are up to something and I believe that its Bane's doing. What's worse… is that Sonic the Hedgehog has disappeared…"

Tower thought the information over for a second. Now that she mentioned it, the occurrences with Renfield and Bane _did_ seem to connect in a mysterious way. "Was this confirmed?" he asked solemnly. The bat nodded in silence. "Alright, Rouge," Tower addressed. "I'll let you investigate these matters further- while we assault Bane with what we have managed to scrounge up, you can question the people at those construction sites. Here, I'll give you a warrant to do so," the human explained and handed Rouge a small slip of paper- which allowed her to legally question anyone she wanted.

"Thank you, sir! I'll get right to it…" she thanked him, and exited the room.

Commander Tower turned to his men below and addressed them. "Attention!" he yelled. All of the soldiers stopped what they were doing and turned towards him in attention. "Men, the time has come to rid our proud city of the mercenary known as Bane, and his pet mercenary army!" he proclaimed. The soldiers cheered and fell silent. "We will reclaim our weapons, and restore balance to Station Square!" he explained further. "We know where he is! The tunnels and sewers below the city! We will go there and smoke him out!" Tower exclaimed. The soldiers cheered again, and this time they also clapped. "We have declared war on Bane!" Tower exclaimed. The crowd went wild and some even let out war cries. "Move out!" Tower ordered, and the soldiers obeyed him. Tower looked away from his men for a minute, thinking about his plan of action. _"This time, we will surprise Bane…" _Tower thought.

0ooOoo0

Sally, Rotor, and Tails quickly walked through the halls of Castle Acorn. They were on their way to the Council Chamber to discuss their recent decision to have all of New Mobotropolis' citizens evacuate to Station Square. The reasoning behind the evacuation was that the citizens didn't feel safe from danger within their own city after hearing what happened to Sonic. Some feared that he was dead, and others believed that he simply abandoned them again.

They had already evacuated and had been in the city for only a few hours. It seemed to work out perfectly, on account that they were going to hold an emergency Freedom Fighter conference in Station Square to discuss Sonic's disappearance and the one who seemed to be behind it- Bane. After finding out what he did to the Chaotix, Freedom Fighters worldwide had sized him up to be a viable threat. Elias was still in Station Square, though, so they could be close to him even though they were at a conference.

Sally, Rotor, and Tails had to see to it that the council members and anyone still left in the city would evacuate peacefully. After all, not everyone wanted to flee to Station Square, but the lack of citizens and government in New Mobotropolis would prove to be quite a mess. The three walked into the main hall outside the Council Chamber, and flung open the doors, hoping to see the council members getting ready to leave.

They saw the council members alright, but they weren't getting ready to evacuate. In fact, they looked quite nervous. The three Mobians' eyes scanned the room and to their surprise and shock, who else should be standing before them other than Bane. The komodo dragon, who was wearing combat fatigues and a thick wool and leather coat turned to them and leered. "Ah, Princess Acorn!" he mused. "I am so glad that you and your scientist friends could join us!" he growled as two Mobian mercenaries closed the doors behind them.

Sally looked back at the doors and then towards Bane. "We know what you did to Sonic!" she growled back at him, not showing any fear in the slightest. "Mark my words, Bane! I will find him and bring him back, even if it means going through _you_!" she swore to him.

Bane cocked his head. "I certainly hope that you know where to look…" the masked reptile replied.

"Please, Princess!" hollered Dylan. "Please don't make him angry! Just do what he says…" he added weakly.

"SHUT UP, DYLAN!" Sally yelled back at him. Rotor and Tails were standing there, shocked at her outburst and the current situation they were in. She turned back to Bane with anger in her eyes. "Fine, what do you want from us?" she asked grudgingly.

Minutes later Sally, Tails, Rotor, Chuck, and Dylan were leading Bane and some of his mercenaries down the tunnels that led to the laboratory. Things quickly took a wrong turn, though. The group soon came to a dead end. "Oops," Rotor said meekly. Everyone looked at him and awaited an answer. "I forgot. This is the wrong way to the lab…" he said cautiously.

Bane looked at the walrus, and then at the wall in front of them. "No matter," he said casually, and motioned for some of his mercenaries to plant explosives on the wall. After they were done, everyone moved back and Bane reached inside his coat and clicked a detonator on his vest, activating the explosives. The wall exploded and as the dust settled, it revealed that it was indeed right beside the lab. Everyone entered and walked over to the sphere-shaped energy generator in the center of the room.

"You two… activate the machine!" Bane ordered Tails and Rotor. The two grudgingly complied and activated it with their thumbprints. The machine started to activate, but didn't turn on all the way. Bane looked at the two council members and pointed to the machine. "Now it is your turn," he said. The two didn't move though.

Bane continued to glare at them and moved his arm. "I only need two council members… there are three more waiting upstairs!" he warned. Dylan realized this and reluctantly complied. Uncle Chuck did the same, and by verifying their prints the machine activated, letting off a strange humming sound. Bane motioned for a scrawny, shaking human to come forward and pointed him towards the machine. "Do your work, Dr. Pavol," he ordered, and sat down on a nearby stool. The human scientist took off his jacket and began tinkering with the machine.

Sally leaned against a table, and realized that Nicole was nowhere to be seen. She would have blocked their access to the lab, but obviously she didn't for some reason. She spied a small hand held device next to her, which looked familiar. She picked it up and inspected it. It was almost identical to the old hand held console in which Nicole originally resided in. To verify her suspicions, it came to life as she held it in her hand. "Sally… What is going on?" the electronic voice asked in confusion.

"Nicole? Is that you?" she asked with interest.

"Yes, it is me," replied the device. "What is happening? Is the lab being raided?"

"Unfortunately yes," Sally whispered. "It's Bane, and they're doing something to that invention of yours, Tails, and Rotor."

"I feared so, and I can't do anything!" exclaimed the device. "Something they are doing is rendering my programs useless! Ergo, I am constrained to this small device for now…" she explained with frustration.

"Ah, it is done!" they heard someone exclaim. It was the human scientist, Dr. Pavol- who had just finished his work on the device. He had not only tinkered with the machine, but he also applied some pieces of Xorda technology to the sides of the sphere. "This energy generator is now a ten megaton nuclear bomb!" he explained. "With Xorda technology attached for some reason…"

"Good," Bane mused, and motioned to his soldiers. "Remove the core from the machine!" he ordered. A look of concern spread across Pavol's face.

"Wha, wait! No! You can't do that!" he shrieked as the mercenaries took out the radioactive core from the sphere shaped machine. "If you do, then the bomb will become unstable! You will only have a few months until it detonates on its own!" he explained fervently.

"Five- by my calculations…" Bane corrected.

"No! You're actually thinking of letting this thing go off?!" Pavol exclaimed, no longer timid or nervous.

"Well I hope for your children's sake, Dr. Pavol…" Bane replied as he got up from his seat. "That it does!"

0ooOoo0

Rouge drove her squad car into a rather seedy looking part of Station Square. As she rounded a corner, she came to a dismal-looking construction zone. This place happened to be one of the places marked on Renfield's construction permits, so she decided to take a closer look. Ahead of her, she spotted two Human construction workers- one of which seemed to be standing guard. It was suspicious to say the least. The workers seemed to immediately notice her as she parked and stepped out to confront them. "Hey, you?" she asked in a rather polite manner.

The worker standing guard acknowledged her, and strode up to her. "How can I help you, miss?" he asked.

Rouge waved some of the permits in his face. "I'm here to question all of you about what you're doing here. And don't worry, I have a warrant!" the bat replied. The human worker wasn't visibly flustered, and he ushered her deeper into the site where the other worker was.

Rouge walked toward him at a brisk pace, intending to question him. The man gave her an uninterested look, until she threw some permits in his face. "I need to know exactly what you're doing here! Now! This is very important!" she asked him forcefully. Instead of answering her, Rouge noticed the man shoot a strange look at the other worker behind her. She reacted in a moment's notice and ducked as the worker behind her attempted to strike her with the butt of his concealed pistol. She roundhouse kicked him in the groin, sending him flying to the ground. Then she evaded the other man's quick punches before returning a few back to him. He also fell to the ground, dropping a concealed pistol as well.

"_Okay, so these guys definitely aren't builders…"_ Rouge thought. She looked over at the materials they were working with, and discovered something startling. There were large amounts of motor oil being mixed with potent samples of Thermite. "These guys weren't pouring concrete…" she said, and stepped back a few feet. "They were laying explosives!"

The bat took out a map of where the construction zones were, and saw that explosives were being laid at hundreds of points throughout Station Square. She raced back to her car, and contacted Abraham Tower as quickly as she could.

0ooOoo0

Abraham Tower was directing his men by the hundreds down into the sewers. His plan was to smoke Bane out with as much firepower as he could- increasing his chances of taking him down. Most of his men were already deep inside the tunnels, combing every area they came across for the elusive Komodo dragon and his mercenary army. Just then, he realized that he was being contacted by Rouge.

The commander answered with a victorious demeanor. "Ah, Rouge! I was about to call you. We are-," he began to explain, but was suddenly cut off by the frantic bat. "Tower! Bane's men have been pouring concrete laced with explosives all over the city!" she yelled as she drove frantically towards Tower's position.

"Are you sure?!" Tower responded with bewilderment.

"YES! They've implemented explosives all around the tunnel system! Your men will be stranded down there if he detonates them! They're heading into a trap!" she yelled. Tower launched into action and contacted the rest of his men.

"PULL OUT! I said pull out! We're headed into a trap! Retreat!" he announced to his soldiers. Every one of them began calling their squads out, but the clock was beginning to tick. They felt that Bane would pull the trigger any minute, and that they had all been played for fools. "Dammit! Get everyone out of there! Where's Bane then?!" Tower questioned, but no one knew for sure.

0ooOoo0

Near the center of Station Square, the Central Coliseum was abuzz with activity. It was the beginning of Mina Mongoose and the Forget Me Knots' World Tour, and Station Square was the first stop. Of course, the most anticipated tour of the year held by Mobius' most famous band was bound to see a full house. The coliseum was packed with people from all over Mobius, eager to watch the first performance of the highly anticipated tour. Even a good portion of the evacuees from New Mobotropolis found that watching the Forget Me Knot's concert was the way to help them cope with the sudden evacuation. After all, it was helpful to turn something bad into something good.

Simultaneously, a Freedom Fighter conference was supposed to take place later that evening to discuss the character known as Bane and what he might have to do with Sonic's disappearance. Some of the Freedom Fighters wanted to steal a peek of the Forget Me Knots' show while they waited for the conference to get set up as well. Even the Chaotix, most of whom were injured by Bane a week ago also wanted to attend the conference. Knuckles, Vector, Mighty, and Espio were all making a speedy recovery, and wanted to know more about how they could take down the masked maniac.

All of them and the remaining members of the Chaotix walked in to the conference dome that was located next to the main coliseum, and said hello to Bunnie, Amy, and to their surprise- Antoine. "Yo, Ant!" Vector exclaimed. "You're finally starting to feel better?"

The coyote nodded weakly. "I just woke up from my comatose state last night," he explained. He was using crutches to walk, but he seemed competent enough to keep up with everyone else. "As soon as my beloved explained to me what had happened to you and Sonic… I had to attend zis conference and support all of you," he added with conviction. "Bunnie also informed me of what happened with ze show-off before he disappeared… I ave known him for so long… zere was a reason behind zis!" he explained. Bunnie sat him down in a nearby chair and kneeled down next to him.

"We were all shocked by what happened to Sonic," Knuckles reassured him. Amy stood there in silence, trying to put on a brave face while fearing the worst for her friend.

"Where IS Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked them. "And Tails, Rotor, and the Council?"

Julie-Su stepped forward and scratched her head. "They told us that they would arrive here with you guys…"

0ooOoo0

Meanwhile in the coliseum, the stadium lights dimmed and the crowd began to cheer. Cameras of all kinds that were broadcasting the event across Mobius came to life, and began filming. The stage that was erected in the center began to emit all sorts of effects like fireworks, smoke, and confetti. **"Hello, Station Square!"** a mellow voice enthusiastically greeted the crowds over the microphone. The crowd went wild with anticipation. On the stage, a group of recognizable Mobians ascended from a compartment under the stage itself. It was Mina Mongoose and the Forget Me Knots, shrouded in shadow as the crowd cheered, waiting for their big reveal. The lights on stage blazed forth, showing Mina and her band mates in all their glory.

The crowds screamed in excitement, chanting the band's name. Mina walked closer to the edge of the stage to address her fans in the stands. "Hey, guys! Great to finally be here!" she said, and the crowd cheered some more. "We've worked really hard to bring you all our next tour, so how about we stop chatting and start _**rocking**_?!" she yelled as the audience was getting pumped up. They responded with unwavering cheers, and clapped loudly. As all of this was happening, a certain Komodo Dragon was climbing out of a tunnel and into the maintenance entrance of the coliseum. Soon he was joined by some mercenaries, and he leaned against a nearby wall in the shadows as if he was merely watching Mina's performance.

The music started up, and the Forget Me Knots began to perform their first song. Mina led the band and began to sing.

"_Beautiful baby, don't hold me down!_

_Isn't it wonderful, when love comes to town!_

_It seems that promises, can never be broken…"_

The situation was much more tense for others, however. Rouge sped through Station Square, hoping to get to Tower and his men in time. Tower was frantically trying to pull everyone out of the tunnels, but they were very deep down.

"_I must be out of my mind, jokin'!_

_Or baby you're just out of the blue!"_

Bane listened to the Forget Me Knots, and tilted his head slightly. "That _is_ a beautiful voice…" he mused.

"_You keep me hoping, and now I'm roped in!_

_You've given me something, you've given me something real good!"_

Bane motioned for one of his accomplices, and he was handed an explosives clacker.

"_Beautiful baby, don't hold me down!_

_Isn't it wonderful, when love comes to town!_

_It seems that promises, can never be broken!"_

The crowd went wild as they finished their first number. Mina and her band mates were graciously accepting the rounds of applause and cheers. "Thank you all! Thank you!" she replied, and waved her hands. Now they were getting ready to start their second song, and they got into their positions.

"Let the games begin…" Bane growled, and took a firm hold of the clacker. More fireworks and smoke erupted from the stage, and Bane squeezed the trigger on the clacker.

0ooOoo0

As the GUN soldiers were retracing their steps through the tunnels, hundreds of nearby explosions could be heard. They tried to run away as fast as they could, but concrete and debris began filling up all of the entrances to the tunnels. They narrowly escaped being crushed, but now they were cut off. Commander Tower cursed as he saw the entrances collapse, trapping his men inside. He also saw and heard hundreds of explosions rock the city- tearing down entire buildings, freeways, and streets. He began to fear the worst for Station Square's citizens.

As the explosions rocked Station Square to the core, military personnel from Metal Harbor watched in horror as their city was hit by numerous deadly explosions. They thought that it was some kind of foreign attack, so they began to take their battle stations. Just then, a call came in from Commander Tower. The harbor's manager and sergeant picked up the phone and heard a very distressed Tower. "Gale! Bane has been pouring concrete laced with explosives all around the city! He just detonated them, and now my men are trapped underground! We need assistance!" he yelled. The sergeant was about to respond, when he remembered that he had crates full of the supposedly tampered concrete laying all around his harbor. "Shit! NO!" he yelled, but before anyone could react or figure out what was going on, the concrete exploded, and in turn began to sink entire ships and installations all over the harbor. Tower heard the mayhem on the other end of the line, and looked toward the bay to see all of Metal Harbor in flames. "DAMMIT!" he screamed, and threw his communicator on the ground. He was about to turn away from the awful site, when he saw that even the large bridges connecting Station Square to Central City and the mainland were exploding! Each of the bridge's midsections exploded and fell into the ocean, effectively cutting Station Square off from the rest of the mainland. People were screaming and trying to flee in panic as the explosions continued to devastate their city.

Rouge was startled by the sudden blasts as she drove her squad car through Station Square, but she kept driving- trying to maneuver around the debris and explosions. She wasn't that lucky however, and a nearby explosion propelled her into the air and back down to the street with a crash, as her car rolled and flipped on its side.

The people in the coliseum didn't notice the explosions at first, due to the concert's firework display- but that soon changed. Not long after the explosions around the city went off, smaller explosions inside and around the coliseum erupted. The blasts frightened and startled everyone in the stands, including the band on stage, and all of them ducked for cover as quickly as they could. While the confused audience members were screaming in terror, the VIP boxes around the stadium also exploded. Bane's mercenaries began storming the stands, pointing their potent assault rifles at everyone to make sure they wouldn't leave. This frightened people even more, but they knew they couldn't leave while the armed thugs kept watch over them.

Soon enough, Bane and some of his soldiers came onto the stage where the Forget Me Knots were huddled. He took the microphone from the terrified Mina's hands, and tapped it to make sure it still worked. The soldiers behind him ushered Sally, Tails, Rotor, and the Acorn Council members to stand behind Bane. Ash, Mina's boyfriend and manager, rushed on stage and asked if she and the band members were alright. They told him that they were shaken, but okay in the long run. Bane's soldiers told him to stay quiet and keep still with the rest of the band as Bane tried to get everyone's attention.

"People!" he boomed over the microphone. _"People! _Take control…" he said as the confused and scared crowd began to settle down. "Take control… of your cities!" the komodo dragon proclaimed. "Now we come not as _conquerors_… but as _liberators_!" he boomed, and motioned for his men to bring forth the bomb they had engineered. "Behold! The instrument of your liberation!" he said as they wheeled it out onto the stage. Dr. Pavol was also dragged onstage and forced to kneel down next to Bane. "Introduce yourself to the world!" the brute ordered him.

The frightened and frustrated human begrudgingly complied, and spoke into the microphone. "Doctor Lennid Pavol. Nuclear physicist," he said.

"And what Is this?" Bane asked him, motioning to the device.

"This is… a ten megaton nuclear bomb. With a blast radius of fifteen miles!" Pavol explained.

0ooOoo0

As the events in the coliseum unfolded, they were broadcast all over Mobius by the camera crews. A stunned world looked on in confusion, while on the other side of the destruction the President of the United Federation demanded answers. "What is going on over there?!" he asked fiercely. "Is that Bane?!"

One of his aides nodded, and showed him surveillance footage of the attack. "Sure enough… and whatever he has on stage- its nuclear!" he explained.

"Sir! This Lennid Pavol gentleman supposedly died in a plane crash six months ago," another aide explained. "Although this appears to be him…"

0ooOoo0

Back near the coliseum, the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix watched in bewilderment as Station Square was rocked by the explosions. They were able to see Bane and the ones he kidnapped on the stage since the conference room had a large display showing whatever happened in the coliseum next door. "What the hell?!" Mighty exclaimed.

"Shouldn't we go do something?" Charmy asked meekly.

"No. It's too dangerous!" Knuckles replied. "He has this entire city at his mercy- and it doesn't look like he'll kill anyone yet…"

In the coliseum, Bane continued to speak with the audience's attention. "And who is capable of disarming such a device?" the komodo dragon asked Dr. Pavol.

"Only me…" the human replied timidly. Bane chuckled at this and scanned the area with his predatory gaze.

"Only you…" Bane repeated so that everyone could understand him. "Thank you for your time, Doctor Pavol!" he added, and proceeded to violently snap the human's neck onstage in front of everyone. Gasps and screams filled the stands, but quickly died down as the mercenaries brandished their weapons again. "Now because the responsibility associated with this bomb is so important, I have refused to hold its trigger! The truth is, that one of _you_ holds the trigger!" he explained to everyone's shock. "And at the first sign of any outside interference, this anonymous citizen… _this unsung hero_… will detonate the bomb!" he explained further. "So take heed! We are here for you! The people of Mobius! Do not fear!" he boomed. "For now, go home. Hold your families close. Our service to you will begin tomorrow…" he announced, and dropped the microphone unceremoniously and walked away with his men and the bomb. They left their hostages on the stage with the band and Dr. Pavol's lifeless corpse as the mercenaries began dispersing, allowing people to finally leave.

0ooOoo0

On a somewhat busy city street, Rouge was climbing out of her overturned police car- and was surprisingly unharmed. She staggered through the damaged street, trying to help anyone she could- until she realized that Commander Tower was trying to contact her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her communicator- which still worked. "Tower?" she asked softly.

"Rouge! I just got a lead that some of Bane's men are headed to Station Square General Hospital! They have orders to capture and kill someone- do you have any idea of who it could be?" he asked with urgency in his voice. Rouge knew for sure that King Elias was still in the hospital. "I know who it is, sir! I'm going now!" she said, and ran up the street. She spotted a man who was standing next to a car in good condition, who was obviously shaken up by what had just happened. She approached him and held up her identification. "GUN agent Rouge! I'm with GUN, and I need your car!" she explained to him.

Meanwhile at the hospital, an unmarked van drove up to the front entrance, and dropped off two Mobian mercenaries that were armed with sub-machine guns. They broke in through the entrance, and fired off warning shots at the people in the lobby. The frightened nurses and visitors moved out of the way of the thugs as they made their way to the elevators.

Rouge sped as fast as she could until she made it to the hospital. She jumped out and ran through the lobby- hot on the trail of the mercenaries. Up ahead, the two thugs were advancing on the room where Elias was. Rouge was close behind them, when she heard two loud thuds. She rushed ahead, fearing the worst for Elias when she burst into his room. She was surprised to find the two thugs unconscious on the ground, and Elias nowhere to be found. Then she felt a heavy chair leg being pointed at her head. She turned slightly to see Elias out of bed and recovering nicely, to her amazement. "Sometimes people forget that I also served on the battlefield…" he said, and flashed her a smile as he put the chair leg away.

0ooOoo0

Meanwhile at the United Federation central command, the military's top authorities were watching surveillance footage of the entire ordeal in Station Square. One of the chief commanders analyzed the information, and notified one of his assistants. "The President ordered us to start low-level reconnaissance flights," he said. "And to send a task force to the Route 101 Bridge to negotiate with Bane's men."

Jets and news helicopters were flying around the perimeter of Station Square, but took great care to never enter its airspace. Simultaneously, a task force comprised of GUN soldiers drove their vehicles to the halfway point of the divided Route 101 Bridge. They erected a temporary span to bridge the gap between the two halves of the bridge so people could cross. Some mercenaries on the Station Square side came forward, and one of them had a megaphone. "Send an emissary to discuss terms of aid and supplies!" he ordered. In compliance, a GUN commando came forward to speak with the mercenary.

"Look," he said. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but you don't have enough men to keep twelve million people from leaving Station Square!" he scoffed. The mercenary paid no mind to him, and kept a calm demeanor.

"No," he admitted. "No we don't. But you do..." he replied coolly.

The commando was confused. "And why the hell would we help you?" he asked angrily.

"Because if anyone tries to leave the city, we blow it to hell," the mercenary replied.

The commando's previously confident façade dwindled into dread. They had no choice but to help these monsters fulfill their sick and twisted goals.

0ooOoo0

That day, there was only one story that dominated the air waves on news channels- the city held hostage by the masked mercenary, Bane. As Mobius watched in despair and confusion, the President of the United Federation addressed the world. _"The severity of this situation has become nothing less than apparent to me…"_ he said on the broadcast. _"We do not negotiate with terrorists, but we do recognize realities…"_

Back in Station Square, Rouge was driving Elias to the rendezvous point for the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix. They happened to be listening to the President's broadcast on the radio while they made their way through the ever darkening streets as the city's power began to fail and the evening turned into night. _"Despite what has happened, people of Station Square- know this; we have not abandoned you…"_ he said.

Rouge looked at Elias for a split second to see how he was doing. He was still in pain, but was on the way to recovery very soon. "What does _that _mean?" she asked the king. The young monarch groaned and looked out the window. "It means we're alone…" he sighed heavily.

**End of Chapter 11…**

_**A/N: I'm truly incredibly sorry for how long this took. Almost six months? Crappy. I have a list of excuses, but I'll just tell you the biggest ones. I was wrapped up in a bunch of stuff for school, and this chapter was the longest so far in the story… Yeah. **_


End file.
